My God! George Bush’s new campaign advertisement has a brief shot of a “swarthy-skinned” man who might possibly be construed as “Arab!”

And the ad suggests he might be construed as a … “terrorist!”

Release the hounds! (Hat tip: NC.)

ANOTHER CAMPAIGN FIRST: Bush’s first round of ads became immediately famous for using images of Ground Zero and a flag-draped body being carried away from the rubble of the World Trade Center.

His newest spot, “100 Days,” might soon become famous for another campaign first. It is the first ad to use the image of a dark-skinned man who is obviously meant to be a terrorist.

The ominous slow-motion footage comes about halfway through the 30-second ad. A female voiceover darkly warns about John Kerry’s agenda, charging, “On the war on terror: weaken the Patriot Act used to arrest terrorists and protect America.” On the left of the screen flash the words “John Kerry’s Plan.” On the bottom a red box warns, “Weaken Fight Against Terrorists.” If you look closely, on the right side of the screen you can see an airplane taking off.

The center of the screen is filled with three different rectangles of slow-motion video. In the top panel travelers at an airport study the arrivals and departures monitor. In the center panel there is a shadowed image of a person wearing a gas mask. And on the bottom there is a close-up of a swarthy, somewhat sinister-looking man with darting eyes who slowly turns toward the camera. He is clearly the terrorist in this scary montage.

UPDATE: Watch the ad here.