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With less than 97 days to go until the presidential election, both the McCain and Obama campaigns are already going at each other full-bore on the airwaves. First there was this ad -- from the McCain campaign -- that leveled several charges at Barack Obama. McCain then followed that up with a commercial the campaign called "Celeb." Although Obama -- in Cedar Rapids, Iowa-- dismissed the ads as meaningless...... SOUNDBITE: Barack Obama, presidential candidate, saying (English): "I do have to ask my opponent: Is that the best you can come up with?" ...the Obama campaign shot back with a hard-hitting ad of its own. The McCain campaign maintains that Obama was first to run a negative spot. But whichever side fired first, political analysts say one thing is clear.....historically, negative ads work. The Heritage Foundation's Brian Darling. SOUNDBITE: Brian Darling, research analyst - the Heritage Foundation- saying ( English): "Obviously this campaign right now is all about defining Barack Obama and who Barack Obama is in the eyes of the American people. And John McCain is trying to paint Barack Obama as a celebrity who has less substance than an individual that should be commander in chief." That strategy - in defining your opponent in a negative way--was used successfully by Republicans- against John Kerry-- four years ago. Judging by the quick response from the Obama campaign as well as the Illinois Senator himself-- it's a strategy that they hope will not work again. Jon Decker, Reuters.