Great Campaign Ad, or Greatest Campaign Ad?

As you may recall, during last week's debate, Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney said that one of his plans to reduce the federal deficit while simultaneously cutting trillions of dollars in taxes was to cut funding to public television: "I'm sorry, Jim, I'm going to stop the subsidy to PBS.... I like PBS, I love Big Bird—I actually like you, too—but I'm not going to keep on spending money on things to borrow money from China to pay for." Never mind that PBS' entire federal subsidy is equal to six hours of defense spending.

Anyway! The Obama campaign is out with a new ad, invoking this now-famous moment in the debate, and it's pretty damn amusing.

Obama in voiceover, over image of him campaigning: I'm Barack Obama, and I approve this message.

Male voiceover, of an ominous quality generally used in scary movie trailers or campaign adverts about how terrible one's opponent is, over correlating imagery: Bernie Madoff. Ken Lay. Dennis Kozlowski. Criminals. Gluttons of greed. And the evil genius who towered over them? [silhouette of Big Bird through the window of a corporate tower] One man has the guts to speak his name.

Mitt Romney at debate: Big Bird.

Mitt Romney at a campaign appearance at a deli: Big Bird.

Mitt Romney at another campaign appearance: Big Bird.

Big Bird: It's me—Big Bird!

Voiceover, over footage of Big Bird: Big. Yellow. A menace to our economy. Mitt Romney knows it's not Wall Street [Wall St. streetsign] you have to worry about—it's Sesame Street! [Sesame St. streetsign]

Mitt Romney at debate: I'm gonna stop the subsidy to PBS.

Voiceover, over image of Big Bird sleeping in his nest: Mitt Romney—taking on our enemies no matter where they nest.

Well played, Team Obama. Well played.