Obama ads overwhelm TV presence of McCain

Sen Barack Obama's ad spending will easily surpass the record $188 million President George Bush (R) spent in 2004, according to Evan Tracey of the Campaign Media Analysis Group, which tracks political ads. "Obama has rewritten the playbook on running a presidential campaign," he said. "There's nothing he can't afford to do." Sen John McCain (R-AZ), who is limited to spending $84.1 million because he accepted taxpayer funds for the general election, has teamed up with the Republican National Committee to share advertising costs. They are likely to hit $130 million in TV ads by Election Day, Tracey said. Last week alone, Sen Obama (D-IL) outspent McCain by 3-to-1 in TV ads. Both are spending in traditional battlegrounds such as Pennsylvania and GOP strongholds such as North Carolina.