McCain Web Ad Mocks Media's "Obama Love"

John McCain used to joke that the media was his political base, but now his campaign is using humor to suggest that the same crowd that was once wowed by the witty senator's "straight talk" is now in the tank for his opponent.

A new web ad called "Obama Love" strings together a series of clips featuring prominent TV journalists, including some that delve into the personal impact the Obama phenomenon has had on them. The ad takes particular aim at MSNBC's Chris Matthews, highlighting his description of a "thrill going up my leg" as he listened to an Obama speech.

Suggestions that Obama has been getting preferentially treatment from the media are not new, but the accusation has intensified during the Illinois senator's foreign trip, which is drawing enormous media attention, including one-on-one interviews with all three network news anchors.

The McCain campaign is advertising a contest on its web site that allows users to "pick the best song" to capture the media's alleged love affair with Obama.

Meanwhile, the conservative independent group Citizens United went on the cable airwaves on Monday with an ad that features conservative commentators arguing that the media swoons for the Illinois senator. The group plans to release a film in September called "Hype: The Obama Effect."

Watch the McCain web ad "Obama Love" below: