Negative campaign ads vs. negative news conferences - what's the difference?

The media blasts headlines about attack ads, but what is the difference between attack ads based on issues and attack ads based on "I am more christian than thou?"

I have been surprised by the vehemence of Mr. Huckabee's attacks on Mitt Romney. From assailing him for his family having achieved the American Dream, to dissing him on his religion - yeah right, a theology degree earner who quit his masters doesn't know what his question meant in the New York Times?

Huckabee was a keynote speaker in Salt Lake City at the Southern Baptist convention held there in 1998 where he tried to convert Mormons, and more recently the Southern Baptist Convention just released new lessons on "how to ward off Mormons". Either Huckabee is a liar, very forgetful or he didn't read the flyers or watch the anti-Mormon video the convention created, not to mention reading the books for sale.

Additionally, while Mr. Romney has not attacked Huckabee specifically on the release of a rapist who later killed a woman, Mr. Huckabee during a news conference showed his fangs by choosing a story from Massachusetts that placed Mr. Romney in the worst light. In fact, Huckabee's attack was the most vicious I have seen in politics in a long time (he even had prepared remarks on that one). Unfortunately, I think Huckabee looks the worse for that news conference.

I just cannot imagine Simile Huckabee speaking to the American people every week, he would have a new metaphor each time. His foreign affairs article used the simile "like a high school student...", and I can imagine from his next radio broadcast, "I never achieved the American Dream as other candidates have, like I never stuck in there and finished my masters degree..."

Mr. Huckabee has a degree in communication not theology like he implied. Sure his positions haven't changed much, but his deceit appears to be growing.