Obama spares Bo from the dinner plate and puts him in a campaign ad

Let's hope Bo manages to escape before the campaign ends.

Via WaPo:

One Internet ad starts with a two-toned blue background, like dozens of other pro-Obama spots. Then the furry star pops into the frame, tongue out and ready to frolic. “Join Pet Lovers for Obama,” the ad implores.

The unlikely pitchman is Bo, the White House family pet, who may well be the first “first dog” to emerge as a central player in a presidential reelection campaign.

Political pets have long attracted inordinate attention, from then-Sen. Richard M. Nixon’s dog, Checkers — the focus of an early 1950s scandal that slowed his political ascent — to Bill Clinton’s adopted stray cat, Socks. In 2004, George W. Bush’s campaign put together a tongue-in-cheek video for the Republican National Convention seeking advice from Barney, Bush’s Scottish terrier, on how to attract the “canine vote.”

But Obama appears to be breaking ground by featuring his Portuguese water dog so prominently in official campaign advertisements and fundraising efforts, part of a broader focus on the president’s family.

Pro-Obama Internet ads featuring Bo, which have run steadily in recent months, urge voters to“Bark for Barack” by donating to the campaign. Official “Pet Lovers for Obama” pages on Facebook, Pinterest and other social media sites feature pictures of the president and his dog and invite supporters to share their own pet photos.