Obama ad dubs McCain win 'bad news'

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By Christina Bellantoni

GREENSBORO, N.C. | Sen. Barack Obama's campaign has painted the "Bad News" picture of a John McCain victory in a new Web video aimed at getting record voter turnout.

The YouTube video features a mock MSNBC projection that Sen. McCain "wins" the Nov. 4 contest with 51 percent, to 49 percent for Mr. Obama.

"John McCain elected 44th president" and "Voter turnout lower than expected" are the mock captions with an MSNBC "Breaking News" headline under a smiling Mr. McCain.

"It doesn't have to be that way," flashes across the screen before the clip sends voters to the campaign's VoteforChange.com site. It urges them to use the site to "register to vote, request to vote absentee, find your polling location."

The spot, titled "Bad News," features NBC's Tom Brokaw talking about an end to "one of the most bitterly contested presidential campaigns in modern memory representing stark differences" of ideas about the "future in this country."

An unidentified newscaster can be heard saying, "John McCain's victory has been projected by NBC News." Then the video shows Mr. McCain, with wife Cindy at his side in a green dress.

He tells the crowd: "Thank you! Let me tell you, I'm very happy."

The audio appears to be from Mr. McCain's introduction of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate, though she is not shown or mentioned in the clip.

In recent days, the Obama campaign has used celebrities from Queen Latifah to Kal Penn to tout the site, which gives voters information about polling places and registration deadlines.