McCain, Obama Camps Go Negative as Presidential Campaign Nears Homestretch

With just eight days remaining, John McCain and Barack Obama each prepare one last argument -- a closing argument -- to convince voters why he is the best choice for America.

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New Anti-Obama Ad Labels Democratic Nominee 'Dangerous'

The McCain-Palin Republican ticket is trailing in the polls and even GOP guru Karl Rove predicted this weekend that McCain was headed for defeat unless he was able to turn things around.

In that effort, the attacks will keep coming.

Campaign watchdogs have estimated that nearly 100 percent of the ads being aired by McCain are negative.

The latest anti-Obama commercial is titled "Dangerous" and seizes on an Obama quote that American troops in Afghanistan are "just air-raiding villages and killing civilians."

The national TV ad hammers at one of the themes McCain and Palin will be sounding: that voters don't really know Obama, can't trust his judgment, that he's a liberal who doesn't support our fighting men and women.

"Who is Barack Obama?" is the opening line, and then pins several labels on him: "dangerous," "dishonorable," "risky" and "liberal."

Palin picked up that that quote during a Monday rally in Clearwater, Fla., after citing Obama's quote about "air raiding villages and killing civilians."

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"That's not what our brave men and women are doing in Afghanistan. They are protecting us," the Republican vice presidential contender said before adding, "John McCain is a different kind of man. He believes in our troops and their mission."

McCain Expected to Go on Offense

McCain himself is expected to draw personal contrasts between himself and Obama in what his aides describe as a major speech in New Mexico Monday.

Pfotenhauer and Obama adviser Robert Gibbs squared off on "Good Morning America" before the speech.

Gibbs called the accusations being leveled by McCain surrogates "dishonest, despicable smear campaigns."

Obama himself talked about the accusations while on the stump this weekend in North Carolina. "That's what you do when you're out of touch, out of ideas and running out of time," Obama said.

Both sides also defended their ads.

"Of course that's relevant," Gibbs said referring to the "Keating 5" scandal. "Do you trust John McCain to be the steward in this economy?"

"We're down to the last stretch of this campaign," Pfotenhauer told "GMA." "And it's absolutely essential that the American people hear not just about Sen. McCain's plans for the future ... but also about the decision they have to make about these two individuals who will be leading the United States and be commander in chief of our armed forces."

ABC News' David Wright contributed to this report.