Ads in Response to a Pretty Bad Week

It's been a pretty bad week for Mitt Romney and it doesn't seem to be lightening up (here's another Post Op-Ed on Romney's "extreme makeover"). Several Romney revelations this past week seem to have irked some conservatives. Over at The Corner, Yuval Levin mulls over news that Romney might have become pro-choice just to run in Massachusetts. He says "Flip flops on abortion are a fairly common feature of political resumes in the past few decades. But Romney’s flip flops are both more recent and apparently more frequent than most. He’s done some work to explain them (and some of his record in office helps too), and has made real inroads with social conservatives. But it certainly looks like more work remains." And at RedState, one-time Romney cheerleader Erick Erickson withdrew his support for Romney: "I think I'm done with the campaign of Willard Mitt Romney. I'm tired of it. His campaign and the potential for his nomination has jumped the shark. No Republican candidate for President has ever more deserved the title 'Multiple Choice Mitt.'"

Perhaps this is one of the reasons that Romney has decided to make a major ad purchase, something that is unprecedented this far out from the primaries. I think it's a pretty bold move aimed at defusing this recent negative press run. The ad is set to air tomorrow in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Michigan and Florida. To me it comes off as a good, positive ad. Question is, will it be enough to help Romney define his candidacy on his own terms?