海角大神

The knife-wielding man in the black hood appears for only a moment. But the image is instantly recognizable: the killer of American journalist James Foley.

Allen Weh, the Republican mounting a long-shot campaign against Sen. Tom Udall (D) of New Mexico, has sparked outrage by using that screen shot in . Senator Udall鈥檚 campaign called the ad offensive 鈥� especially in light of requests by Mr. Foley鈥檚 family for the public not to share the video of his execution.

鈥淛ames Foley鈥檚 death is a tragedy, and to use his killer鈥檚 horrific image for personal gain in a campaign ad is reprehensible and appalling,鈥� said Daniel Sena, Udall鈥檚 campaign manager, in a statement.

鈥淚f Allen Weh wants to talk about the issues with New Mexico voters, he should find a way to do it that is respectful and substantive. Using James Foley鈥檚 horrific and tragic death for shock value is offensive to Mr. Foley鈥檚 family, New Mexico voters, and the rest of our country.鈥�

But sometimes, one man鈥檚 outrage is another man鈥檚 smart political maneuver.

Suddenly Mr. Weh, an ex-Marine and former chairman of the New Mexico Republican Party, is getting national media coverage. The ad is only on the Web and had only about 20,000 views by midafternoon Tuesday, but Weh has put himself on the map.

Remember Joni Ernst in Iowa? Her ad during the primaries where she talks about castrating hogs also grabbed attention. She shot up in the polls, won the GOP primary, and now has a good shot at taking over the seat occupied by retiring Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin. 聽

Of course, Weh鈥檚 ad isn鈥檛 whimsical. Its subject matter is dead serious. His campaign notes that Foley himself doesn鈥檛 appear in the ad, and argues that the ad鈥檚 larger point is central to the fall campaign.

"Out of respect for the Foley family, no picture of James Foley was used. Tom Udall鈥檚 feigned outrage over the inclusion of a now familiar image of this Jihadi terrorist, who is clearly the face of the evil that threatens our nation. Senator Udall鈥檚 comments about our diplomacy being 'good' reflect his naivet茅 and inexperience in matters of national security," Weh campaign manager Diego Espinoza said in a written statement to ABC News.

The ad juxtaposes images of jihadi violence with shots of President Obama on vacation. Mr. Obama faced withering criticism, including from liberals, for sticking to his just-concluded vacation 鈥� and his many rounds of golf 鈥� while the world burned. Republicans are trying to lash Democrats to Obama in their effort to take control of the Senate.

鈥淭o change Washington you must change your senator,鈥� Weh鈥檚 ad concludes.

In Democratic-leaning New Mexico, Weh has a steep climb. The latest poll by the Albuquerque Journal, released Aug. 18, showed Udall well ahead among likely voters, 53 percent to 35 percent. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report calls the race 鈥渟olid Democrat.鈥�

But even if Weh fails, he鈥檚 boosted his profile. Four years ago, Rep. Alan Grayson (D) of Florida made waves when he ran an ad against GOP challenger Daniel Webster by calling him 鈥淭aliban Dan.鈥�

Mr. Grayson鈥檚 ad backfired, analysts said, and he lost the election. But his reputation as a liberal firebrand lived on. Two years later, Grayson ran again in a new Florida district. Today he is once again Congressman Grayson.聽