No. 7 on the most watched videos today on YouTube:

Sen. Hillary Clinton’s Wisconsin TV spot railing on Sen. Barack Obama for not accepting her challenge to debate before the state’s primary on Tuesday.

Obama’s campaign has responded today with an ad pointing out the fact that the two have been in debates together more than a dozen times and have two more set later this month in Texas and Ohio, before those bigger states’ contests lurking in early March. 

They also trade jabs over healthcare and home foreclosures; Clinton’s ad says Obama’s plans won’t suffice; Obama’s cites an endorsement and a news article in defense.

Whether the ads will have any impact is up for speculation. But on the larger issue of to-debate-or-not-to-debate, the strategies here are obvious.

Clinton wants a debate before the Wisconsin primary (and Hawaii’s) in hopes of deflating Obama’s balooning popularity. She does OK at rallies and stump speeches, but now she’s behind and needs a way to confront Obama’s momentum outright.  A debate is where she’s likely to do best. Not a shock.

And Obama is logically avoiding; they’ve debated a good bit so far and he doesn’t really need more just now. Too, a debate provides an opportunity to misstep. From the campaign’s point of view, thousands of cheering fans at a rally has to sound a lot better than the potential for a bad or misunderstood answer.

Clinton’s ad, the No. 7 most watched video on YouTube today:

Obama’s ad is  not on YouTube yet, but you can see it by clicking here.