CHICAGO - Republicans are taking aim at Kossacks this morning with a new Web ad accusing the 2008 Democratic candidates of pandering to liberals at the Yearly Kos convention and abandoning the moderate middle of their party.

The ad, called "Circus," notes that none of the White House hopefuls spoke last weekend to a convention hosted by the Democratic Leadership Council, a Clinton-friendly organization with a centrist platform. But tomorrow, all but one of the candidates will speak here at Yearly Kos, a gathering of 1,400 liberal bloggers and voters from across the country.

The RNC ad, which features a photo of people in tinfoil hats as a way to illustrate Yearly Kos attendees, says the Democrats "kowtow to the extreme wing of their party" and charges that the candidates "take their marching orders from the liberal left."

The ad closes with the infamous Dean scream. Dean was a big hit here last night giving the keynote.

Gen. Wes Clark warmed up the crowd here this morning with a talk about the need for diplomacy to fix the situation in Iraq, and got a standing ovation with a message for President Bush, who he accused of "hiding" behind Gen. David Petraeus."No, we are not questioning the generals, Mister President," Clark boomed. "We are questioning you, your administration, your leadership... This is your war, you defend it."

-- Christina Bellantoni, national political reporter, The Washington Times