Schieffer: D.C. now feels the pain of campaign ads

(CBS News) Washington, D.C., is generally ignored by the presidential candidates, but those of us who live here have discovered there was an upside to that.

We didn't have to see and hear all those TV ads that clog the screens in the battleground states.

Well, our good luck finally ran out.

Since Virginia has become a key battleground, candidates have to advertise on Washington TV to reach voters in northern Virginia.

So battleground states, now we can truly feel your pain. No wonder you look shell-shocked! Like someone who had his head stuck in a bucket while someone else pounded on it with a shovel.

We're bombarded by these things every waking moment, and it doesn't stop there. I've seen so many I dreamed about one the other night! I've seen so many I can't remember who said what about who.

But make no mistake, these campaign commercials make a deeper impression on us and reach more of us than we may realize.

This was told to me as true: A campaign operative saw the president in an ad and asked his four-year-old son, "Who is that?"

"That's Barack Obama," said the child.

"And what does he do," said the father.

Without missing a beat, the four-year-old replied, "He approves this message!"