CBS takes down McCain webad, suggests it's 'misleading'

CBS News has waded into the back-and-forth of the presidential race, rapping John McCain's use of Katie Couric in a new Web ad released today as "misleading."

In the ad, which hits Obama over the "lipstick" nonsense, Couric is made to look as if she's talking about Sarah Palin when she decries sexism in American life, but in fact it's a clip of her talking about Hillary.

Apparently Couric isn't pleased about being used as a stage prop in a fashion designed to falsely suggest that Couric is endorsing the McCain campaign's phony complaints about sexism. CBS spokesperson Leigh Farris emails over this statement:

"CBS News does not endorse any candidate in the Presidential race. Any use of CBS personnel in political advertising that suggests the contrary is misleading."

And Ben Smith reports that YouTube has taken down the original ad at CBS's request.