* Mark Kirk’s US Senate campaign takes a big whack at Alexi Giannoulias. The Internet spot is called “Downplay - A Brief History of Broadway Bank.” Rate it…

* The Giannoulias campaign ridicules Kirk’s claims that he’s an “independent” in its brief video. Rate it as well…

* In related news, Mayor Daley defended Giannoulias yesterday…

Mayor Richard Daley defended Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Alexi Giannoulias [yesterday], saying the candidate should not step aside despite revelations about family-owned Broadway Bank.

“Why should he step aside? Tell me,” Daley said. “He went through the primary.”

“Everybody knew that, what was happening to the bank, so why?” the mayor added.

Daley then made a pointed reference to Scott Lee Cohen, whom Daley also defended during the post-primary debacle….

“You forced one candidate out for Lt. Governor because you didn’t like his profession or his personal life, so are we going to? It’s interesting, really interesting how people go through a primary, and they have to step aside because we don’t like what happened. Everybody knew that was happening to the bank, right? So why?”

While the Daley defense was likely welcomed news at Camp G, dredging up Cohen probably stung more than a bit.