After 18 months on the trail, this is the closest he’s come to a memorable ad. Seriously. I wrote about this line of attack back when David Brock floated his “sugar mommy” turd. It’ll help Obama marginally — the appeal of class warfare is evergreen, especially in a bad economy — but it’d help a lot more if McCain actually looked the part Obama’s trying to make him play. Americans are used to the idea of politicians being filthy rich; it’s not wealth itself that puts fangs into the attack, it’s how wealth suggests luxury, entitlement, softness, and selfishness. Good luck with that, Barry. The instant response from McCain HQ:

Does a guy who made more than $4 million last year, just got back from vacation on a private beach in Hawaii and bought his own million-dollar mansion with the help of a convicted felon really want to get into a debate about houses? Does a guy who worries about the price of arugula and thinks regular people “cling” to guns and religion in the face of economic hardship really want to have a debate about who’s in touch with regular Americans?

The reality is that Barack Obama’s plans to raise taxes and opposition to producing more energy here at home as gas prices skyrocket show he’s completely out of touch with the concerns of average Americans. –McCain spokesman Brian Rogers

It’s high time for a Rezko ad, just like it was high time for an Ayers ad yesterday. Still, an embarrassing gaffe this morning in forgetting how many homes he owns, nearly matched by the embarrassing lameness of Tim Kaine’s third-grade bon mot in reply. Was the Nelson Muntz “ha-ha” sound effect not available? Exit question: Is this final, definitive proof that Hillary’s not going to be VP? Surely Obama wouldn’t drop this ad and then turn around and put the $100-million-dollar woman on the ticket.

Update: Prepare for Rezko-mania: The McCain camp is e-mailing around Freddoso’s op-ed about him in today’s New York Post. Oh, the fun we’ll have with that Hillary “slum lord” soundbite if she’s the nominee.

Update: Good point at the Standard. Too bad Silky’s no longer in the picture politically. He would have come in awfully handy here.

Update: Rezko-mania arrives at last. Here’s the RNC fact sheet, in PDF format.

Update: October surprise!