In an attempt to paint himself as a Washington, D.C., outsider and distinguish himself from some of his Democratic rivals, Sen. Barack Obama, D.-Ill., unleashed ads in Iowa targeting special interests.

The ad, “Take It Back,” focuses on Obama’s decision to refuse all campaign contributions from PACs and Washington lobbyists. Obama also touts his leadership on ethics reform in Congress. “It’s still early in the election season, but we’ve already seen a few issues jump to the forefront — health care, education, energy and the Iraq war, among others,” said Josh Earnest, Obama for America’s Iowa communications director, in a press release. “But one common thread ties all these issues together: the need to bring significant, dynamic change to the ways of Washington. Quite simply, it’s time to take our country back and put it in the hands of regular people again.”

The ad features some clips from Obama’s speech declaring his candidacy in Springfield, Ill., in particular the line confronting the notion that he’s too inexperienced to be president. “I know that I haven’t spent a lot of time learning the ways of Washington,” Obama says. “But, I’ve been there long enough to know that the ways of Washington must change.” The line helps Obama draw a distinct line between himself and campaign rival, Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., who argues her experience in Washington has helped prepare her to lead the country her first day in office. Playing off voters’ current dissatisfaction with the government, Obama is trying to turn his Democratic rivals, who are veterans of D.C. politics, into a negative.Because Obama has taken money from lobbyists registered in his home state of Illinois, he makes it clear that he refuses to take money from registered Washington lobbyists. Although some of the latter have given money to his campaign, Obama has returned it.

As part of his “Take It Back” campaign, Obama also plans to hang signs that say “Not Paid for by PAC or Federal Lobbyist Money” in his campaign offices across Iowa. Furthermore, Obama’s television ads will be accompanied by targeted radio commercials that end with a tag line that says “Paid for by Obama for America, not Washington lobbyists.”