Steve Benen inadvertently writes the script to an ad I’d love to see the Obama campaign running.

Americans need to ask themselves if they’ve ever befriended a convicted felon who advised his supporters on how best to shoot federal officials in the head. John McCain has.

Americans need to ask themselves if they’ve ever used the money of a convicted criminal to help them buy their house. John McCain has.

Americans need to ask themselves if they’ve ever befriended a radical televangelist who has lashed out at the Roman Catholic Church, calling it, among other things, “the great whore” and “a false cult system.” John McCain has.

Americans need to ask themselves if they’ve ever sought economic advice from a far-right former lawmaker who “has diminished American solvency and power beyond the wildest dreams of anti-American terrorists.” John McCain has.

Americans need to ask themselves if they’ve ever befriended a radical televangelist who blamed the attacks of Sept. 11 on Americans. John McCain has.

The Obama campaign has made a big step forward in hitting McCain for his Senate-disciplined connections to and actions on behalf of Charles Keating.

Benen makes the case that both campaigns should put aside the tit-for-tat attacks, as both pols are equally vulnerable to this sort of hit. But that’s not precisely true. The McCain campaign is launching weak attacks on Obama in areas that he has more direct vulnerabilities.  McCain’s campaign isn’t going to stop launching these attacks and because Obama hasn’t taken the shots that were available to him until recently, these attacks have some salience in the media narrative on Obama’s vulnerabilities.

I’d love to see an issue oriented debate, but I think Steve and I both know it’s not going to happen. But as long as we’re playing in the muck, the Obama campaign’s new info site and video on McCain’s Keating 5 connections is a huge step in the right direction. And Benen has provided them with another ad script, if they care to use it.

One last thing on the new Keating 5 site. For a campaign that has shown itself tremendously competent in message discipline, internet strategies, and voter outreach, it is no shock that when they decide to throw a serious punch, it lands so soundly. Good job Team Obama.