One of the many areas where the Obama campaign has out-shined the Clinton campaign has been in media communications, with one caveat, the Obama communications team has not been great at managing expectations for primary results. They have steadily improved and today provides an excellent opportunity for contrast.

The Clinton campaign launched a fear ad, suggesting that Clinton would be the only one you want answering the phone in the White House during a foreign policy emergency. The ad is a retread. The response to it by Obama’s campaign was excellent.

“We don’t think the ad is going to be effective at all. Senator Clinton already had her red phone moment — to decide whether to allow George Bush to invade Iraq. She answered affirmatively. She did not read the National Intelligence Estimate. She still, curiously, tries to suggest that it wasn’t a vote for war, but it most assuredly was…

“This is about what you say when you answer that phone. What judgment you show…She, John McCain and George Bush gave the wrong answer.”

They pushed it out quickly and it has been effective. It takes Clinton’s attack and turns it around on her. The surrogate, in this case Ploufe is directly in line with the arguments we have heard from Obama himself on this issue. It is seamless and will diffuse what ever impact comes out of this ad.

Meanwhile check out this spin from the Clinton campaign as they try and set expectations for Tuesday.

Senator Obama has campaigned hard in these states. He has spent time meeting editorial boards, courting endorsers, holding rallies, and - of course - making speeches.

If he cannot win all of these states with all this effort, there’s a problem.

Should Senator Obama fail to score decisive victories with all of the resources and effort he is bringing to bear, the message will be clear:

Democrats, the majority of whom have favored Hillary in the primary contests held to date, have their doubts about Senator Obama and are having second thoughts about him as a prospective standard-bearer.

Translation: If we lose three out of four states, it is really Obama that is the loser, because he ran hard to win them. Sometimes you can read a piece of spin and come out agreeing with it, at least in part. This is not one of those times. It is truly eye-roll inducing.

The Clinton campaign set expectations several weeks ago that they needed to win both Ohio and Texas. Now with this spin they are setting themselves up to argue that a win in Rhode Island is a sign that Democratic primary voters think that Obama should not be their nominee.

The tactics they are using, the messaging and posturing is disappointing. In some respects I would love for this primary to be over immediately so we can focus all of our attention on McCain. However, this grueling primary campaign has been incredibly beneficial for Barack Obama. He has grown tremendously as a candidate. That is particularly clear when you look at his debate performances. So, while I do not relish a Democrat using attacks on Obama that the right will use in the general, it may serve as a learning opportunity for Obama and the campaign.

That does not mean that I am heading to Ohio hoping that Clinton holds on her ever shrinking lead, but that having the campaign continue for the next month is not the worst thing in the world.

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