The Republicans’ “hopeful” for Attorney General, Jack “Six Teats” McMullen, has finally hit the airwaves with his first TV ad.

(Since his fundraising performance has been too meager to support a significant TV buy, this apparently means that Jack has finally dipped into his very deep pockets and begun to underwrite his own campaign. After earlier insisting that he wouldn’t. Promises, promises.)

The ad serves to reintroduce McMullen to the voters of Vermont. It’s the kind of biographical message that you’d usually expect in the early stages of a race, not at the beginning of the homestretch. And especially not in a race against a tenured incumbent. But still, a decent effort.

But as I listened, something began to strike me oddly: The voice of the narrator.

First thing: it’s too aggressive in a chummy sort of way, like a salesman who stands just a little too close while delivering his pitch. Makes me just a bit uncomfortable.

And then, second and more subtle: The rhythms and cadences are just slightly off. By the end of the ad, I thought: “This sounds like a pre-recorded voice.” Like the Time Lady, or the automated 411 service.

I listened again, and the impression grew stronger. I don’t think this was a real live person reading the script; I think it was a cut-and-paste job using pre-recorded elements.

If true, astoundingly cheap for a statewide major-party candidacy.