There has been an awful lot of talk about how Obama needs to "Attack, Attack, Attack" against McCain.  The general thrust of this line of advice seems to equate "attack" with "Find some dirt on McCain and spend millions spreading it through attack ads".  This falls right into the zero-sum trap that the Obama candicy is supposed to be leading us away from.

The primaries were not really about platform differences.  The primaries were about how the fight was going to be taken to the GOP (yes yes ... let's forget all that stuff for a moment; ther're a zillion "unity threads" for that).  Clinton mastered the battlefield techniques and assembled a force to smash the republican attack machine right down their throats - a counterattack machine.  Obama employed a strategy of focusing on an overarching positive message inspiring supporters to network while utilizing targeted attacks of opportunity to break down his opponents. 

It's like the difference between pugilism and fencing.  With Clinton vs. McCain we knew what to expect from two brawlers.  But what happens when you put a slugger on one side and someone strategically poking him with a sharp object on the other (maybe bullfighting is a better analogy)?  Facing the unknown is frightening, but without facing that down, nothing ever changes.

Clinton supporters will remember how infuriated they were when the press kept calling Obama positive as he scored time after time with targeted attack ads.  Regardless if you believe the general positive view of Obama to be based on a fraud - it is now in everyone's best interest to burnish the image.  It seems that many feel it is important to vindicate themselves from the primary by dismissing this image, but by so doing you propose to discard an entire arsenal of weaponry geared for deployment in 21st century politics that has proven very effective against just the sort of political machine McCain is utilizing.

Recent polling shows that Obama is still viewed as running a positive campaign by a majority(but just barely), while McCain is solidly viewed as completely negative.  Those are the numbers Obama needs to increase in order to maintain the position to attack from the high ground. 

So yes, he needs to attack! But that attack needs to be geared to increasing his positive public image, not to decreasing John McCain's.  The "who are you going to vote for?" question is the wrong metric at this point.  It doesn't make sense to go full negative in response to the summer doldrums.

I believe that Obama should blanket areas McCain is attacking with positive response and issue ads.  He should patiently wait for the next time McCain gives him an opening like the recent houses gaffe and pounce from the background noise of his positive message with brutal attack ads.  As long as he choses targets well, Obama will maintain the infuriating ability to attack without being seen as negative.

His guys are doing great - they are just playing a different game.  Again, IMO that was the decision that was being made when Obama got the nomination.  If they are doing it right, sometimes their decisions will bug Clinton supporters to no end.  But the lot has been cast, and one thing is certain: this election will not be won by trying to turn Barak Obama into Hillary Clinton.

Note: Unlike some folks, I don't equate what happens here with the campaign.  I think places like this should keep after every little thing that could possibly hurt McCain and try and get it picked up!