While Barack Obama’s campaign is denouncing a conservative group’s new ad trying to tie the Democratic candidate to former Weather Underground member William Ayers, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley (D) himself said that the two men are friends, notes Ramesh Ponnuru. If John McCain picks former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) as his running mate, he’ll get more help in Colorado and Nevada, swing states with large Mormon populations, than he would from running with former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge (D) in his own state, writes Byron York.