Hillary Clinton's boneheaded new campaign ad

Clinton's now-infamous Texas campaign ad:

The spot starts with a moonlit shot of a blond toddler in the warm tangle of her sheets and then cuts to a close-up of an infant also in deep REM sleep. For the next 15 seconds, the images shift from one cherubic sleeping face to another. You'd think you were watching a Baby Ambien ad if the narrator weren't giving you nightmares: "It's 3 a.m., and your children are safe and asleep. But there's a phone in the White House, and it's ringing. Something's happening in the world. Your vote will decide who answers that call. Whether it's someone who already knows the world's leaders, knows the military—someone tested and ready to lead in a dangerous world." At this point, we see our first adult, a concerned mother, opening the door and peering into her children's bedroom. "It's 3 a.m. and your children are safe and asleep," the narrator repeats. "Who do you want answering the phone?"

It's 3 a.m. and your children are safe and asleep. But there's a phone in the White House, and it's ringing. It's a pollster explaining that the president's approval rating from women ages 35 to 50 has dropped below 50% for the first time in two years. Your vote will decide who answers that call. Whether it's someone who already knows how to manipulate the media -- someone focus-group tested and ready to launch targeted issue ads within 24 hours.