With John McCain in a steep decline in key battleground states his campaign has signaled that they intend to travel the low road once more in an attempt to distract people from the economic mess that has engulfed the country. That low road will be to go back to the Ayers and Rezko matters, and do just about anything to change the subject from the economy. The new strategy was highlighted in the Washington Post:

Sen. John McCain and his Republican allies are readying a newly aggressive assault on Sen. Barack Obama’s character, believing that to win in November they must shift the conversation back to questions about the Democrat’s judgment, honesty and personal associations, several top Republicans said. With just a month to go until Election Day, McCain’s team has decided that its emphasis on the senator’s biography as a war hero, experienced lawmaker and straight-talking maverick is insufficient to close a growing gap with Obama. The Arizonan’s campaign is also eager to move the conversation away from the economy, an issue that strongly favors Obama and has helped him to a lead in many recent polls.

“We’re going to get a little tougher,” a senior Republican operative said, indicating that a fresh batch of television ads is coming. “We’ve got to question this guy’s associations. Very soon. There’s no question that we have to change the subject here,” said the operative, who was not authorized to discuss strategy and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The McCain camp unveiled Governor Palin to start the attacks, which should get nastier with each dip in the McCain poll numbers.

GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin opened a new assault on Barack Obama on Saturday, accusing the Democratic presidential nominee of being “someone who sees America as imperfect enough to pal around with terrorists.”

The McCain campaign was good enough to telegraph that move through the Post story, allowing Obama to launch a preemptive strike. From the Post:

“Senator McCain’s campaign has announced that they plan to turn the page on the discussion about our economy and spend the final weeks of this campaign launching Swift Boat-style attacks on me,” Obama told a crowd of thousands on the football field of Asheville High School. “Senator McCain and his operatives are gambling that he can distract you with smears rather than talk to you about substance. … I want you to know that I’m going to keep on talking about issues that matter.”

And Obama will be on the air with this ad on Monday, seeking to highlight the tactic and keep people focused on the economy. With all of the problems out there I do not believe that the Republicans will be successful in changing the subject. That elephant in the room can’t be covered with tall tales from the Weather Underground.

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