Oh the wonders of digital editing! North Carolina Republican Ilario Pantano has a slick new campaign ad that has been "tweaked" in two important ways. After the jump. the AP's Mike Baker explains:

Pantano's ad begins with a clip of a national NBC News reporter, Stone Phillips, talking. "Ilario Pantano, described by one superior as having more integrity, dedication and drive than any Marine he's ever met..." the anchor says before the ad moves on. It clips off the end of the anchor's statement that says "... now stands charged with murder."

A second news clip shows another NBC interview with Pantano, in which an anchor again describes his background: "You served in Gulf One, you got out, you got a big great job, a beautiful wife and a kid, then 9/11 happened, you come home, your hair is shaved off, you're ready to head back into a war zone to help America," she says.

That clip trimmed out a few words in the middle of the sentence. NBC journalist Ann Curry actually says that Pantano "got a big great job at Goldman Sachs." Goldman has been one of the more controversial — and in some cases reviled — financial titans of the economic crisis.

I guess one could understand why working for Goldman Sachs and facing murder charges might turn off some North Carolina voters. When asked about the editing, a Pantano spokesperson told Talking Points Memo the "ad is 100% accurate." He said the spot simply had to be "cut down to fit the time frame." Uh uh..

It should be noted that the murder charges against Pantano were dropped. He addressed the allegations in a book he wrote, contending that the killings were in self defense. Here's a deeper look at those allegations:

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John Hudson