Michael Falcone over at the Times points us to this link to Fred Thompson's *first* commercial which will air tonight (on TV) during the GOP POTUS debate in NH.

When I watched it, here were the first thoughts that popped in to my mind:

1. Did someone make this commercial in Microsoft MovieMaker? I'm not ripping it if so, but I recognize that lower-third from Kotecki's "early" work...

2. What's up with the purple? Is that really purple or is my screen playing tricks on me?

3. Fred, slow down man. I'm trying to pay attention to what you're saying.

Like the Strokes, I'm asking, "Is this it?"

UPDATE 2:43 PM: Captain Ed sees the ad through a different lens:

Here's the ad that will run tonight Seems pretty straightforward for a launch; it hits the themes of strength and unity as a teaser to see what specifics will come later. That also ties into the push for this conversation-by-blog project that Thompson's team started today.