McCain tries to change the subject, who wants to talk about the boring old economic crisis?

The McCain campaign launched an attempt to change the subject this weekend by targeting Obama for his past association with Bill Ayers. The NYTimes recounts the relationship here. According to the article, the two men crossed paths on a few occasions where they both worked on education projects in Chicago and later when Obama's predecessor in the Illinois state senate introduced Obama to influential democrats at a meet and greet held at Ayers home.

The McCain campaign is desperate to focus the remainder of the campaign on Obama, but will Americans and the media respond to this kind of character smear while everyone is so focused on the economy? We'll see how it plays out this week...