Now this is certainly an interesting development…

Oregon Republican Senator Gordon Smith is now running ads touting his ability work across the aisle with Barack Obama and the Democratic Governor Ted Kulongoski. He recognizes that the GOP brand is not so strong these days, and in order to beat back the challenge from Jeff Merkley, he’s going to have to…well…act like a Democrat. Check out the ad.

UPDATE: Obama spokesman Bill Burton responded:

Barack Obama has a long record of bipartisan accomplishment and we appreciate that it is respected by his Democratic and Republican colleagues in the Senate. But in this race, Oregonians should know that Barack Obama supports Jeff Merkley for Senate. Merkley will help Obama bring about the fundamental change we need in Washington.