Ads from groups weighing in on the U.S. presidential campaign "have begun getting sharper and more numerous," reports NPR [3]'s "All Things Considered." The conservative pro-war group Vets for Freedom [4] has already spent $1.5 million on ads in such "key presidential states" as Michigan, Ohio, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Virginia, with plans to "spend exponentially more." Their ads show military veterans supporting Senator John McCain [5]'s stance on Iraq, claiming, "The surge worked." Ads from the AFL-CIO [6] labor union also feature veterans, who express respect for McCain's war record while questioning his plan "to keep spending $10 billion a month in Iraq." Religious groups are also getting into the act. The Chicago-based political action committee [7] Matthew 25 Network is supporting Senator Barack Obama [8] with ads on Christian radio stations, which tend to draw conservative listeners. On the other side, the Christian Defense Council is distributing a poster that calls Obama the "abortion president."