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Reviews of John McCain's most recent TV advertisements have been anything but glowing. Today's Washington Post challenges the premise of his "Troops" (subscription) spot, while the New York Times editorial page chides the Republican candidate for going negative. Meanwhile, Barack Obama's campaign has released a response (subscription) to McCain's "Pump" (subscription) ad, which suggests that Obama is responsible for rising gasoline prices.

"Have you seen John McCain’s TV ad?" an announcer asks. In case viewers haven't, the most accusatory clip of the McCain spot plays before the announcer says incredulously: "John McCain is blaming Barack Obama for gas prices." The spot labels McCain's tactics as part of "the same old politics" before launching into a defense of Obama's energy plan and directing viewers to his Web site for more details.

The spot is less acerbic than another one (subscription) Obama released early in the month responding to an ad from the Republican National Committee, and perhaps reflects an attempt on Obama's part to stay above the fray. So far, Obama's strategy in the general election has looked very similar to his primary tactics: Don't attack your opponent unless they strike first. In the primary, he attempted to repel negative ads from Hillary Rodham Clinton by dismissing them as "old politics."

According to a new report [PDF] released today by the Wisconsin Ad Project, the GOP has indeed been the source of more vitriol on the airwaves in the presidential race. Ninety percent of the ads released by the Obama campaign from June 3 through July 26 were positive spots, according to the group, whereas one-third of McCain's were negative. The RNC has also spent about $3.6 million on presidential ads, all of which characterize Obama negatively.