Mike Huckabee’s new TV ad shows him in front of a Christmas tree and what the Drudge Report calls a “floating cross”–the clear wooden crosspiece of a window that God-o-Meter has a hard time believing got in there by accident. After complaining about all the annoying political ads clogging the airwaves, Huckabee, looking more like a friendly neighbor than a presidential candidate by dint of a soft red sweater, reminds viewers in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina about the true meaning of Christmas:

What really matters is the celebration of the birth of Christ and being with our family and our friends. I hope that you and your family have a magnificent Christmas season. And on behalf of all of us, God bless and Merry Christmas.

A top Huckabee aide tells God-o-Meter that “the ad really is about wishing everyone a Merry Christmas.” That’s very thoughtful of Huck, but GOM is still startled by the ordained minister’s sharpening of his religious appeal even after his earlier Christian Leader ad. But it is also taken with the spot’s simple brilliance. How better to answer Mitt Romney’s attack ads then by wishing everyone a Merry Christmas–and reminding them once more that you’re a traditional Christian’s Christian? God-o-Meter promises to look into the possibility of an “11” rating tomorrow.10