Barack Obama has produced a new campaign ad.

“We are a beacon of light around the world. At least that’s what we can be again. That’s what we should be again,” Obama says. “When we break out of the conventional thinking and we start reaching out to friend and foe alike, then I am absolutely confident that we can restore America’s leadership in the world.”

With all due respect, Senator, I understand that abandoning conventional thinking is a key theme in your stump speech, but if you cannot invoke it in a campaign ad without straining so much, maybe you should consider abandoning this theme?

Because the simple fact of the matter is: to be a beacon of light around the world again, all we have to do is return to what used to be the conventional thinking before George Bush sprayed DDT all over the political landscape.

Let’s please try not to package a return to conventional thinking as breaking out of conventional thinking? Because surely the nation has had enough of that kind of reverse-speak in the last seven years or so?