Like the other network morning shows, NBC’s Today on Friday took exception to John McCain’s ad mocking Barack Obama’s celebrity, featuring very brief pictures of Britney Spears and Paris Hilton. Matt Lauer suggested it was "bizarre" and said it was "a new and some would say very negative ad from John McCain." Meredith Vieira agreed, suggesting it was "over the top" and saying "the ad suggests that Obama is just like these two celebutantes, more style than substance." In an interview with McCain aide Nicolle Wallace and Obama aide Robert Gibbs, Matt Lauer told Wallace the ad was "much more personal and demeaning" than Hillary Clinton’s "It's 3 AM" ad, and after Wallace replied, he repeated it was "demeaning."

But Lauer asked Gibbs about whether it could become a negative that Obama draws ...