Campaign ad season reaches fever pitch

From "Aqua Buddha" to opera singers, personal attacks and altered photos, we've seen some of the best, worst and strangest campaign ads released in the last two weeks.

While political observers have handed kudos to some strategists for their savvy attacks, others say several ads go too far.

Below, we recap some of the most memorable, shocking and silly campaign commercials aired in the last 14 days:

Best research team: Who knows how long it took a research team to prepare this one, but Democrat Jerry Brown's ad folks dug up footage of Meg Whitman and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger stating the exact same phrases. The clips appear in rapid succession to make the case that Whitman is simply a clone of the now deeply unpopular GOP incumbent:

Best use of a candidate's own words: It's pretty hard to distance yourself from an issue if you helped write the legislation. That's the exact argument Dino Rossi is using against Democrat Patty Murray in Washington's Senate race. Rossi's ad goes to the source herself, showing footage of the senator stating that she helped author the health care bill:

Most disengaged: A group called Latinos for Reform caused major controversy this week by telling Latino voters out West to stay home on Election Day. You can see that ad below:

Silliest: Have opera singing skills ever emerged as a theme in an attack ad before? Playing off his opponent's singing skills, Arizona Sen. John McCain ran this commercial, which uses editing to suggest Democrat Rodney Glassman would be happy to "perform" for the White House:

Most hysterical: Running a stop sign has never been so terrifying. The DCCC chose to attack Republican Kristi Noem for running stop signs in this ad for South Dakota's at-large House seat. The ad suggests parents should be concerned for their children's safety when Noem's on the road:

Most misleading (visually): Sharron Angle's campaign tried to make the case in a new ad that Harry Reid spends his time partying and living the high life. But to illustrate Reid in a "conga line" the producers altered a photo of Reid with the first lady at a children's fitness event--not exactly living large, especially by Nevada standards. Angle's campaign eventually pulled the spot, because of other images that violated copyright protections. But you can still check out David Weigel's stills at Slate here.

Biggest "oops": Fact-checker wanted! Colorado Republican Cory Gardner thought he was blasting his opponent, Democratic Rep. Betsy Markey, for voting in support of the federal budget. But it turns out he confused her with a congressman who has the same last name -- Ed Markey of Massachusetts. Gardner pulled the ad, but you can still watch it below:

Biggest distraction: The criticism continues for Democrat Jack Conway over his "Aqua Buddha" ad. Republican Rand Paul and other critics say the Kentucky Senate campaign ad, which focuses on Paul's alleged membership in a college secret society, goes too far in attacking the Republican's faith:

Most disgusting: It's not often that dog feces makes it into campaign dialogue--in an other-than-metaphorical sense, anyway. But Joe Sestak went there in a recent spot featuring his dog, Belle, in a leading role. The Pennsylvania Senate candidate compares the actions of his Republican opponent, Pat Toomey, to dog waste:

Best outtake: If a "Campaign Fail" site existed, Ethan Berkowitz's video would have ended up there--and Alaska's Democratic gubernatorial candidate no doubt would proudly post it there himself. With an eye clearly fixed on the viral video audience, Berkowitz provided an outtake at the end of his campaign commercial. (Note: It involves a backhoe!)

(Photo: Screenshot of Rodney Glassman from John McCain for Senate ad)