Obama: My Failed Mob Banker Friend Sure Is Ethical

You've got to hand it to Alexi Giannoulias. The man's got a pair. It certainly takes an iron set to blanket the airwaves with a TV commercial extolling your pristine ethics while your campaign is beset with revelations of trying to cover up irresponsible multimillion dollar loans to known members of the mafia, long ties to an infamous slumlord and convicted felon, dodgy donors, and, of course, an ethically...challenged former governor.

But bolstering ethical cred is precisely what the Illinois Democrat endeavors to do in this gem, starring Captain Ethics himself, President Obama:

Illinois may be one of the few remaining states in which an unequivocal endorsement from The One may not put you on the fast track to defeat...although his popularity in his adoptive home state ain't what it once was:

Obama remains more popular in his home state of Illinois, with an approval rating of 51 percent in the latest Chicago Tribune poll. And even Illinois residents who dislike the president's performance may feel some affection for one of their own.

As Obama says (with a straight face) in the spot, Alexi Giannoulias is "the kind of person you want in the United States Senate," which may in one sense be true--if the alternative is letting him anywhere near your bank.

UPDATE: Fresh off the presses, Rasmussen has Kirk regaining a slight 41-37 edge over Giannoulias...with 9 percent favoring Green Party candidate LeAlan Jones?