DAY’S END ROUNDUP

It didn’t take long for bloggers to jump all over the latest Clinton “3 a.m.” ad, with everyone speculating on whether it will salvage her bid for the Democratic nomination.

Liberal blogger Todd Beeton at MyDD thinks the Clinton camp is “really smart” to turn the attention to John McCain. For starters, Beeton sees an attack against McCain as a distraction from the rhetoric between Clinton and Obama, something Beeton believes was pushing superdelegates away from Clinton. Beeton also notes that since the whole race is coming down to superdelegates anyway, the Clinton campaign may as well start running for the general election with hopes of convincing party elites of her electability.

Chris Cillizza picks up the electability thread, writing that deciding based on who has the best chance of winning is something that has been on the “back burner” in the race thus far. Cillizza wonders if Clinton is betting that voters will come back around to that fact, especially if McCain’s campaign gains momentum while the Democrats are still duking it out. He suggests that if the campaign is playing up that angle, “it is something close to a certainty that polling suggests that the electability argument plays well with voters.”

Marc Ambinder quotes McCain advisor Steve Schmidt, who counters with an electability argument of his own: “With an ad like that, it’s more likely that the call at 3:00 a.m. is, ‘Senator, you’ve just lost another superdelegate.'”

The Hill’s Sam Youngman reports the ad highlights the different economic stances between John McCain and the two Democratic contenders.

FROM THE BLOGS:
The Senate’s Housing Bill – David Freddoso, The Corner
TX-07: The Map Keeps Expanding – brownsox, Daily Kos
Michigan and Florida – Kevin Drum, Political Animal
What’s With Hookers and Politicians? – Steven Foley, The Minority Report
Rove Ironically Attacks Obama – Matt, Think Progress
Pensees on Patriotism – Paul J Cell – RedState
NJ Senate: Rothman Bluffs Bergen Boss – Scott in NJ, Open Left
Pot Sweetened – Allahpundit – Hot Air
Clinton’s New 3 A.M. Ad Hits McCain – Marc Ambinder

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:

Karl Rove Likes What He Sees – GQ
Clinton’s Persistence Could Help Obama – New York Times