It is sad, isn't it? They target those ads simply to the issues they know will sway voters the most and don't worry at all about truth in what they're saying. Media advisers and advertising/marketing consultants worry a lot more about the spin that'll win votes than they do about the accurate facts. Spin is much more sensational and scary, so it sways more people, at least those who don't dig a little deeper.

Here in the Dallas area where I live, one of the local news stations, WFAA, has been doing a neat thing during the last few elections. They call it "Truth Watch," and basically they go fact by fact through the candidates' ads and tell which parts are true, which facts are distorted, and which are blantantly untrue, backing up all the information with real facts and stats. In our current gubernatorial campaign, all four candidates got busted on Truth Watch to some extent or another.