As we wait for Joe Sestak's first ads to hit the airwaves -- he confirmed to the Post-Gazette today that they're up, as some friends reported yesterday -- it appears the Specter has released a preemptive round of attack ads on the former Navy admiral.

Chris Potter at the City Paper saw an ad in the Pittsburgh market that goes over attacks well-known to political junkies -- on Sestak's missed votes and his removal from a top Navy job -- but that are probably new to most voters, to whom the Delaware County congressman is an unknown. It seems the Specter camp is racing to introduce Sestak to them before the congressman can.

(Sestak says the attack ads are up in the Philadelphia market too.)

They were not on the senator's YouTube channel.

Politico has the ad here. So does PoliticsPa (below). National Review Online has a transcript.