The ad appears as the President is finally getting involved in the bipartisan discussions on trying to reach a short-term deficit deal.
The White House argues that the deficit can't be significantly cut with eliminating tax breaks for certain wealthy people and companies, while the GOP says to do so would shatter an already foundering economy.
Yesterday spokesman Jay Carney specified exactly what those tax breaks should be - a repeal of oil and gas subsidies, an acceleration of the depreciation on private jets, a limit on deductions for the wealthy, and a change in how businesses value their inventory.
Note what is not on that list: tax increases.
Mitch McConnell and friends have already won that argument. The discussions are now about exactly how many trillions will be cut over the next decade, but it looks like the GOP has won again. Obama and Harry Reid will go to the airwaves and make their case, but they've already taken tax increases off the table.
Mission accomplished for the Republicans.
Karl Rove's Crossroads GPS ad now airing reportedly is costing that political action committee some $5 million, with $15 million more in ads to follow this summer. In his column in the Wall Street Journal last week, Rove blasted the president for beginning his re-election campaign, calling it a "strategic blunder."
But with Rove and company blasting away on the other side, did Obama have any choice?
