McCain: WHAT THEY'RE SAYING ABOUT MITT ROMNEY'S ATTACK AD IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

"Mitt Romney ... is now running the most negative campaign of any presidential candidate in either party." -- The Washington Post's Howard Kurtz

With "Misleading" New Attack Ad, Romney "Is Now Running The Most Negative Campaign Of Any Presidential Candidate In Either Party"

The Washington Post's Howard Kurtz: "Romney ... Is Now Running The Most Negative Campaign Of Any Presidential Candidate In Either Party." "Mitt Romney, who targeted Mike Huckabee in an earlier commercial, is now running the most negative campaign of any presidential candidate in either party." (Howard Kurtz, "Romney Rips McCain On Senate Record," The Washington Post's Trail Blog, 12/28/07)

Kurtz: Romney Attacks Are "Misleading." "Romney's description of McCain's failed immigration bill -- which was backed by President Bush -- is so selective as to be misleading. The measure would have allowed illegal immigrants to seek legal status only if they first returned to their country of origin and paid a fine, and it was coupled with stricter border enforcement -- key elements omitted by the ad. Romney called a similar bipartisan effort reasonable' in 2006." (Howard Kurtz, "Romney Rips McCain On Senate Record," The Washington Post's Trail Blog, 12/28/07)

The New York Times' Marc Santora: Romney Ad "Misleading." "Mr. Romney assails Mr. McCain on both tax policies and immigration. On both topics, the commercial presents facts that could be construed either as selective or worse, misleading." (Marc Santora, "New Ads: Romney Attacks McCain; McCain Touts Support," The New York Times' Caucus Blog, 12/28/07)

Chicago Tribune's Jill Zuckman: "Ironically, Romney Himself Once Supported McCain's Legislation That Would Provide A Path To Citizenship For Illegal Immigrants." "Ironically, Romney himself once supported McCain's legislation that would provide a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants. And he has endured embarrassing news stories this year about the landscaping company that takes care of his lawn used illegal immigrants to do the work." (Jill Zuckman, "Romney Takes On McCain In New 30-Second Ad," Chicago Tribune, 12/28/07)

The Washington Post's Howard Kurtz: "It Is Not True That McCain Backed Social Security For Illegals." "It is not true that McCain backed Social Security for illegals; a Senate amendment would have allowed payment of past benefits only after immigrants obtained legal status." (Howard Kurtz, "Romney Rips McCain On Senate Record," The Washington Post's Trail Blog, 12/28/07)

"No Better Sign" of McCain's "Growing Strength In New Hampshire" Than "Desperate" Romney Going Negative In Granite State

The Wall Street Journal's Susan Davis: "There May Be No Better Sign Of" McCain's "Growing Strength In New Hampshire" Than Romney Attack Ad. "There may be no better sign of Sen. John McCain's growing strength in New Hampshire than Mitt Romney's decision to go negative today on him in a statewide television ad." (Susan Davis, "Romney Goes Negative In New Hampshire," The Wall Street Journal's Washington Wire Blog, 12/28/07)

The Washington Post's Howard Kurtz: Attack Ad "Comes As Romney's Poll Numbers Are Declining In" New Hampshire And Iowa. "This New Hampshire ad, like the anti-Huckabee spot in Iowa, comes as Romney's poll numbers are declining in both states. Romney tries to cushion the blow in both ads by saying a few nice words about his opponents before assailing their records." (Howard Kurtz, "Romney Rips McCain On Senate Record," The Washington Post's Trail Blog, 12/28/07)

Eye On '08 Blog: "Desperate Romney Flip-Flops And Goes Negative In NH" (Eye On 08 Blog, www.eyeon08.com, 12/28/07)

Eye On '08 Blog: "Romney's Problem Is That He Is Out Of Credibility." "Let's be clear. Wednesday (afternoon?) Romney told the Trib reporter that they are going positive. By Friday morning, they were going negative ... Of course, Romney's problem is that he is out of credibility. As the Union-Leader pointed out, 'the more Mitt Romney speaks, the less believable he becomes.'" (Eye On 08 Blog, www.eyeon08.com, 12/28/07