Huckabee's ad is getting all the buzz. My thought? It's a lovely ad, a smart ad, and heck yeah, they knew that bookshelf in the background was a cross. It didn't get there by accident. Even in something as silly as HamNation, we frame shots and know pretty much exactly what's in the background. It was a really sly place to put a cross and avoid getting bashed for it because anyone who gets upset about it looks like a Scrooge.
I'm half-convinced the cross is in the background expressly to provoke criticism, which Huckabee can then brush off with a charming pop culture reference (hilarious, by the way), simultaneously boosting his likeability and energizing the "War on Christmas" vote. Such a controversy also allows Huckabee to deflect fairly silly criticism easily while avoiding more serious questions. But then, I'm pretty cynical.
Word on the street is Edwards is coming out with a Christmas ad, and Rudy brought this this morning. It's all right. Not as sincere-sounding as Huck's, but sort of funny (I actually like the fruitcake part) and it stays on message. I don't think it'll hurt him, though that sweater vest might. Har. The irony of all this is that Iowa voters will soon get ad fatigue over the ads meant to relieve them of their ad fatigue. Merry Christmas, Hawkeyes!