Rubio takes ideas from Obama, uses them in his own ad against Gov. Crist in Fla. Senate race

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Rubio ad in Fla. Senate race mimics Obama ad

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Former Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio, who criticizes Gov. Charlie Crist for being a fan of President Barack Obama’s stimulus package, is himself a fan of one of Obama’s campaign ads.

Rubio’s U.S. Senate campaign posted a Web ad criticizing Crist, a fellow Republican also running for the Senate seat. The ad uses the same music, lettering and style of an ad Obama ran against Republican John McCain.

The Obama ad pointed out McCain’s comment that the fundamentals of the economy are strong. The Rubio ad points out that Crist appeared with the president to support the $787 billion stimulus package.

A Web site noted the similarities and questioned whether Rubio plagiarized Obama. The Rubio campaign said the similarities are deliberate but the ad is an homage.