In a barrage of beautiful but serious imagery, a song sings a male version of Sinead O'Connor's "Thank you for hearing me."

Somewhat controversial questions hang over the images: "Blackout?" over batteries. "Recall?" over a voter inserting a ballot into a box. "Global warming?" over a freeway scene. "Gay marriage?" over bursting champagne bottles. "Cloning?" over a subatomic matter.

Then, text reads, "Now you can choose more than just which side you're on. You can choose your local service. AT&T Local is here."

The tagline, "Talk is Good."

This campaign, with other spots featuring issues including drilling in Lake Erie, closing public water fountains, smoking bans and tuition discounts, was supported by $20 million in media. The ads were featured prominently in such states as West Virginia, Maryland, California, Michigan and Ohio.