NationalJournal.com's Amy Harder provides analysis of some of John McCain's most memorable TV ads and his overall advertising strategy.

NationalJournal.com's Mary Gilbert provides analysis of some of Barack Obama's most memorable TV ads and his overall advertising strategy.

Click here to watch "Celeb," the 2008 campaign's Best Advertisement.

Which ad from this campaign cycle boasts the best musical score? Who was the best supporting actor? What was the best animated spot? NationalJournal.com sifted through a seemingly endless collection of ads -- everything from the presidential campaigns to downballot races to third parties -- to pick the best of the 2008 campaign.

All ad summary pages are available to subscribers only.

Best Leading Actor

• Barack Obama For President: "American Stories, American Solutions"

Obama's overwhelming fundraising advantage allowed him to purchase 30 minutes of air time on seven networks the week of the election. But his ability to deliver a message that resonated with Americans made it worth the estimated $4 million price tag.

Best Advertisement

• John McCain For President: "Celeb"

Even though pundits dismissed this ad and scoffed at McCain for lumping Obama in with the likes of Paris Hilton and Britney Spears, "Celeb" spurred McCain's summer bump in the polls and became one of the race's most talked-about ads.

Best Advertisement -- Drama

• Tom Udall For Senate: "Humbled"

This spot, featuring an Iraq war veteran who lost his ability to speak but not his profound gratitude, might just move you to tears.

Best Advertisement -- Musical

• Barack Obama For President: "Don't Know Much"

Using a new take on a classic song to mock McCain's record on the economy and his ties with President Bush, this clever spot embodies Obama's ability to hit his opponents without being perceived as an attack dog.

Runner-up:

• Nurses Organizing Committee/California Nurses Association: "One Heartbeat Away"

A song underscores McCain's health risks as the ad reminds viewers that Sarah Palin would be "one heartbeat away" from the presidency.

Best Advertisement -- Comedy

• Freedom's Watch: "Welcome to the Unofficial Dept. of Peace"

Marshaling a VW van, tie-dye and drug insinuations against Mark Udall's Senate campaign in Colorado, this ad had to crack up even the most serious pols.

Best Advertisement -- Horror

• Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund: "Brutal"

Viewers were so captivated by this environmental group's ad depicting an aerial wolf hunt that they donated thousands of dollars to keep it on the air.

Runner-up:

• John Kennedy For Senate: "Scary Mary"

Kennedy mocks his opponent, Mary Landrieu, for trying to scare voters, but we found the acting in this spot particularly terrifying.

Best Supporting Actor

• President Bush

The unpopular chief Republican made it into countless attack ads across the country. "Bush-McCain Challenge" by MoveOn.org Political Action was particularly entertaining: It used the theme song from "The Patty Duke Show" to pair up Bush and McCain in both their mannerisms and their words.

Continue reading "And The Winners Are..." »

NationalJournal.com's Mary Gilbert appeared on MSNBC Live this Saturday to discuss the presidential candidates' closing ads.

Click here to watch "Freedom."

Reviving an ad strategy not employed since July, John McCain's latest ad out Friday, "Freedom" (subscription), features images of a young McCain as a soldier -- and a prisoner of war -- to assert his own patriotism and fortitude.

"I've served my country since I was 17 years old, and spent five years longing for her shores," McCain says in the ad. "I came home dedicated to a cause greater than my own." In another shift from nearly all his recent ads, McCain stays positive, though he does sneak in an implicit jab at Barack Obama's "hope" slogan: "Don't hope for a stronger America. Vote for one."

Click here to watch "Delighted."

With his ratings at historic lows, President Bush has remained sidelined during this election season, but his No. 2, Dick Cheney, did emerge this weekend to throw his support behind John McCain. Democrats seemed more excited by this particular endorsement than Republicans, however, as it feeds into their storyline about McCain's ties to the current administration.

Barack Obama's campaign was quick with its reply, releasing a new TV spot just hours after Cheney's remarks from his home state of Wyoming.

"Delighted" (subscription) juxtaposes some of Obama's most respected backers -- billionaire businessman Warren Buffett and former Bush Secretary of State Colin Powell -- with McCain's latest supporter. Showing footage of Cheney endorsing McCain and running mate Sarah Palin, an announcer quips: "Boy, did McCain earn it. He voted with Bush and Cheney 90 percent of the time." "And that's not the change we need," he concludes.

The ad comes as both candidates ramp up their efforts in the final 24-hour push before Election Day. Obama today will hit three states that went for Bush in 2004 -- Florida, North Carolina and Virginia -- while McCain makes stops in seven different battlegrounds.