Following up on David's post below, why is McCain outspending Obama two-to-one in Missouri?

We had reader reports suggesting this last week. And in response to those reports readers from a number of other swing states reported seeing the same thing -- a flood of McCain ads and only a much smaller number of Obama ads.

When we checked in with Obama campaign, the impression we were given was that this was more a matter of viewer perception than reality. But the Post-Dispatch's reporting makes it clear that in Missouri at least it is very much the reality.

I've got my hand on only a small patch of a national campaign elephant. But voter preferences are much more malleable in these early summer months than in the Fall. So I am curious to know why what we're told is the heavily outfunded campaign is dominating the airwaves in at least some key areas.

Earlier this week Josh noted the reports we were getting from readers in Missouri that McCain ads were all over TV, while Obama was barely visible. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Jo Mannies runs the numbers:

Since his visit to southwest Missouri last week, presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain has aired more than three times as many campaign ads in the state as his Democratic rival, Barack Obama.

McCain's campaign outspent and out-aired Obama in every major media market in Missouri, including St. Louis, from June 19 through last Wednesday. McCain held a town-hall forum in Springfield, Mo. on June 18.

McCain spent $224,696 for 791 spots that ran on local broadcast stations around Missouri. That compares to $115,054 spent by the Obama campaign to air 212 spots.
McCain's more aggressive spending comes as both campaigns say that Missouri is among their targeted states as they head into the remaining four months before the Nov. 4 general election.

Both candidates' ad spending in Missouri and Illinois is being monitored for the Post-Dispatch by the Campaign Media Analysis Group, a Virginia-based, nonpartisan firm.

Philip Gourevitch concludes TPMCafe's weeklong discussion on Abu Ghraib, centered on his new book Standard Operating Procedure: "Just as with slavery, we will have to accept that the stain will linger and continue to taint us for a very very very long time to come."

Barack Obama will be embarking on an international tour to meet with foreign leaders and boost his image on foreign policy. That and other political news of the day in today's Election Central Morning Roundup.

What do Philip Gourevitch's reflections on Abu Ghraib tell us?

For one, Robert Stone says, that "the Bush-Cheney operation ought never to have been trusted to supervise the deployment of armed troops."

U.S. government (thanks, Bush administration) has to cough up $5.8 million to settle a lawsuit brought by one-time anthrax-mail suspect Steven Hatfill.

Bill and Hillary give the max to Obama today: $4,600.

Conservative activist Grover Norquist: Obama is "Kerry with a tan."

Hillary Clinton.

Rory Stewart weighs in at this week's Book Club. In the aftermath of Abu Ghraib, he observes: "It looks to me - from a distance - as though the real challenges are two-fold: to clear out the clutter that muddles our sense of right and wrong and to identify who to hold responsible."

Dana Milbank, on David Addington's testimony yesterday.

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If you need more convincing, see this post.

Perle: Can we please attack Iran already?

From Media Matters:

Continuing a pattern of ignoring developments in the ongoing investigation into the firing of several U.S. attorneys, none of the broadcast networks' June 24 or 25 evening newscasts reported on the Justice Department Inspector General's findings of politicization of hiring practices in several of the department's recruiting programs.

...

As Media Matters for America has repeatedly noted, the broadcast networks' evening newscasts -- ABC's World News, NBC's Nightly News, and the CBS Evening News -- initially were slow to report on the controversy surrounding the dismissal of several U.S. attorneys and have a history of ignoring developments relating to the controversy.

Unity indeed:

Dynamiting a big part of the crown jewel of their plutonium enrichment program is a pretty convincing demonstration of the North Koreans' seriousness about getting out of the nuclear business. But I question the wisdom of dynamiting a plutonium enrichment facility. Aren't these things usually buried in cement and forgotten about?

That's not simply a rhetorical question. I obviously know very little about the management, let alone demolition of nuclear facilities. But doesn't this risk kicking a lot of radiation up into the air?

Late Update: And the answer is ... No. TPM Reader Nuclear Engineers seem to agree that the cooling towers are isolated from radioactive contaminants. Next question?

Obama and Hillary meet up today in Unity, NH. That and the day's other political news in the TPM Election Central Morning Roundup.