Obama spends millions on flags, pizza, consultants—and TV ads.

Presidential campaigns normally face a series of tough choices this time of year. Cut advertising in Pennsylvania or Ohio? Pull campaign workers out of Michigan or Colorado? Barack Obama's campaign faces a different but perhaps equally tough choice: Where, oh where, should it spend its mountains of cash?The Obama campaign announced on Sunday that it raised $150 million in September, bringing the candidate's total to more than $600 million—almost as much money as was raised by every candidate in the 2004 presidential race combined. (John McCain's campaign, meanwhile, has $47 million to spend in October.) Obama has presumably spent a few score millions already, but can his campaign really blow through $150 million before Election Day? [ more ... ] (link)