Click here to watch "Rein."

While John McCain continues to release a TV ad every day, his online ad campaign has intensified within the last couple of days. Three Web videos have already been released this week, all more derisive and mocking than their TV counterparts. The increased focus on production-cheap online ads rather than the more expensive TV spots likely has to do with the campaign's fundraising, which continues to lag behind that of Barack Obama.

The McCain camp released the TV ad "Rein" (subscription) Tuesday, which uses a clip of former President Bill Clinton, in a Sept. 25 interview on ABC's "Good Morning America," casting doubt on the Democrats' efforts to blame the market turmoil on Republicans: "I think the responsibility that the Democrats have may rest more in resisting any efforts by Republicans in the Congress or by me when I was president to put some standards and tighten up a little on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac." The ad also cites media reports that suggest McCain has been active in trying to solve the financial crisis while Obama has remained "silent."

The campaign's recent online ads are more caustic in their approach. "Strong" uses a comment Obama made -- "We've got the long-term fundamentals that will really make sure this economy grows" -- to suggest that Obama either agrees with McCain's much-talked-about statement that the "fundamentals of the economy are strong" or is being disingenuous in his attacks on McCain. "Either way," an announcer concludes, "Obama's a hypocrite."

Two other Web ads -- "Alaska's Political Circus" and "Better Off" -- focus almost solely on Sarah Palin. "Alaska's Political Circus" airs jaunty music and accuses "Obama partisans" in Alaska of conducting politically charged inquiries into Palin's history. "Better Off," meanwhile, shows Palin denouncing Obama's positions on taxes.

So, where is McCain in all these ads? When his running mate appears to garner the lion's share of the media attention (for better or worse), these spots appear to be aimed at harnessing that attention in a more favorable light to Palin.