Equal Time From Bitter Penn.

Since I posted Hillary Clinton's attack on Barack Obama last night, I figured it only fair to post Obama's response, which takes the surprising route of replaying Clinton's initial attack to defuse it.

We see Clinton attack Obama, get jeered for it, and then we are told she is just more of "the same old Washington politics." Obama appears at the end to tell us he wants us to move beyond "the politics of division and distraction." The message: Clinton plays so nasty that you shouldn't mind what she says. Only Obama can move the country forward.

All primary season long, Obama has been selling the same idea: That he can do it different. And it has been effective against Clinton. If Obama wins the nomination, it will be interesting to see if that transcendent approach continues to work in the general against McCain, when the voters up for grabs are independents and not Democrats, and the hit pieces are dropping like leaves from the trees. Obama's whole strategy for winning the White House is likely to depend on it.

UPDATE: Per the Page, Obama has yet another ad up in Penn. hitting back against Clinton.

UPDATE TWO: Hillary hits Obama, again.