"Virgin Mobile Canada, which has been featuring U.S. political figures in newspaper ads for its cellular telephone service, has, as promised, unveiled a trio featuring Sen. Barack Obama (D- Ill.). These follow ads starring former New York governor Eliot L. Spitzer as Love Client No. 9, who is tired of being "treated like a number," and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), depicted thinking, "I wish my bill weren't so out of control."

Two of the Obama ads show him giving speeches. In one he's hoping "my time is finally here," and in the other he "can't wait to call the shots." Both ads tout the flexibility of the company's calling plans.

But the third ad -- we're told it's by far the most popular up north -- is the old bathing-suit shot, with Obama thinking, "Who cares if I'm a little wet behind the ears?"

"Experience isn't everything," the ad continues. "Being the new kid on the block has its perks. You get to put aside tired old ways of thinking and look at the world in a bright new light . . . just like Virgin Mobile's monthly packages do."

The overall ad campaign has apparently been a big hit. But it has been grossly unfair to Republicans. Not a single mention so far of the GOP standard-bearer, Sen. John McCain. (R-Ariz.).

Might be because the Canadians, more liberal than folks here, are a bit gaga over the untested Obama, according to polling earlier this month, and not enamored of McCain.

Despite Obama's bad-mouthing of NAFTA -- wildly popular up north -- Canadians asked which U.S. presidential candidate they liked most favored him over McCain by 39 percent to 8 percent. Obama enjoys nearly double McCain's support, even among folks who said they were conservatives.

The poll of 1,000 Canadians, conducted by Harris/Decima, gave Obama a big lead among men and a one-point lead even among women. He had a nine-point lead over Clinton, despite her husband's enormous popularity in Canada. McCain had the support of only 4 percent of Canadian women.

But they're not voting down here." (Al Kamen, The Washington Post, April 18, 2008)