In what is surely the strangest ad thus far in the campaign season, a video on Herman Cain’s official YouTube page features the candidate’s chief of staff Mark Block earnestly pitching Cain and then slowly puffing on a cigarette.

Most of the text is pretty standard stuff: “Herman Cain will put United back in the United States of America,” “America’s never seen a candidate like Herman Cain,” etc. Of course, Block is paid to espouse those beliefs, but no matter.

The weirdness comes in during the last few seconds of the video: in a tight shot on Block’s face, he slowly drags a butt as songstress Krista Branch sings the tea party fave “I am America.”

They call it "the strangest video of the political season". I call it absolute genius. Where else could you see Tea Party paranoia/patriotism combined with the common man's absolute freedom to make bad personal choices like smoking?

The ad reminded many of the great character in the tv series X Files, The Smoking Man.