McCain's New Ad: "Beautiful" Words Won't Improve Your Life

The McCain campaign is out with a new, minute long TV ad that is at once biographical and a not-too-subtle jab at Barack Obama.

Starting with his military service and POW status in Vietnam, the spot highlights what his campaign describes as the Senator's "record of putting his country first and taking on the tough challenges confronting our country even when it was not popular or in his self-interest."

But it also hits at Obama, in ways similar to attack-ads past.

"John McCain doesn't always tell us what we 'hope' to hear," says the narrator, with a particular emphasis (and pause around) the word hope. "Beautiful words cannot make our lives better. But a man who has always put his country and her people before self, before politics can. Don't 'hope' for a better life. Vote for one."

The choice of the word "beautiful" is telling. Obama has often been described as the candidate of words and speeches and great oratory. But the preceding adjective - which suggests poetry far more than presidential politics - has rarely been used and seems like an attempt to paint Obama as effete to McCain's macho.

Also of note: by starting with a war-versus-hippies montage, the McCain campaign is clearly not shying away from the Vietnam debates that marked the campaign just one week ago (when Gen. Wesley Clark's comments about POW status not being a prerequisite for a commander-in-chief caused a manufactured stir).

Mark Halperin, at the Page, reports that the spot "will be cycled into McCain's ad buy on national cable and in Colorado, Iowa, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin."

Comments

[TXOBAMAGIRL73]

But jumbled and mangled words from one of the " S A G G Y B O T T O M B O Y S " will help along with the psychological help at the gas tank via of a gas tax holiday and off shores drilling that won't yield a drop until much later in my faux adminstration, but will make you feel better about the gas your not putting in your tank even though your paying really money for it ... This isn't change we can believe in, because if you do ,I have this bridge I could get you a great deal on

[gallonjug]

wow-- how depressing!

this is one or two "glass-half-empty"s away from SNL parody.

But keep running as the anti-hope candidate-- worked great for Clinton!

[GayGrandpa]

I am not going to vote for an old fogie*, who is anti-gay marriage, doesn't believe women are intelligent enough to know what is good for their own bodies, and uses the "C" word to describe his wife, he doesn't know anything about the world or economics and who talks about having 100 years of wars, no way no how! Not this clown...no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no! No way no how! NO!

*1. fogie An elderly person, usually someone who constantly finds fault with everything and reminisces to times of WWII. Spends many hours a day waiting for buses because their children refuse to listen to them while driving. Usually working class and annoying to most. Most people will just attempt to ignore them rather than tell them to be quiet.

[Koshsama]

"...another kind of love -- love of country..." So John McCain has made it official: he believes that I did not and do not love my country, and he considers me less than patriotic, because I did not want to follow LBJ into the mess in Vietnam. John McCain's position is that anyone who disagrees with a stupid government policy is not patriotic? This is uncivil on his part. It is inaccurate, yes, but it is also rude, crude, arrogant and unacceptable.

[Tommygun264]

"DON'T HOPE"

Yeah, that's an appealing slogan...

[BlackJAC]

Let me see if I got this straight: McCain thinks we're all supposed to accept that things in this country and on this planet are going to hell in a rocket-propelled handbasket like that priest in RUDY who told Sean Astin to give up on attending Notre Dame?

[NickNas]

powpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpwpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpwpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpwpowpowpowpowpowpowpwpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpwopowpow

I just thought I would get us all a head start on how many times he willsay in on TV and in Print THIS WEEK!!!


This man is a DISGRACE!!! He has made a living off of his Pow status for 3 deacades. Are the people of this country so simple minded that he will actually have a chance to RUN this country with only THAT on his resume???

If so I know HUNDREDS of POWS that may be more stable that need jobs.

[whatchamean]

wow, I want to be like him when I grow up. Except without the crashing 5 planes, finishing 5th from the bottom at the Naval Academy, dumping the sick wife for a hot rich chick, participating in the Keating scandal, punching congressional members in the face, calling wife a cu*t in public, helping pass legislation that favors lobbiest, breaking the finance reform law he helped to write, renoucing almost every centrist stance of career to pander to conservatives, embrace homophobic/zenophobic preachers to court evangelicals even though I don't believe a word they say. Yep, leave all that out and you got yourself a genuwine American hero, yes sir.

[avalanch112]

besides the fact that he did crack while being held captive, and was involved in anti american propoganda.

[khaleef49]

I couldn't have said it better. Great post.

[Tommygun264]

"Don't hope for a better life",
"DON'T HOPE"

Yeah, that really inspires the American people...
God, I can't wait for the first real debate - Obama will wipe the floor with McSame.

[clearthinker2008]

Why is this guy always pimping his POW time? To use being a POW constantly for your gain is some selfish, me, me... crap. OBTW, it still doesn't make him qualified to be POTUS.

[awcbuddy8]

Pretty good ad.

[clearthinker2008]

Pretty good if it was 1968 and not 2008.

[AliLiz]

I do not like nor agree with this ad. However, many will like it, embrace it, and vote for McCain because of this message...make no mistake about that.

Now...let's give Obama thoughts and ideas to overcome this type of campaigning from McCain because this will continue.

[Beachrunner]

"Don't hope for a better life. Vote for one." That's pretty catchy!

[Tommygun264]

Who knew defeatism could sound so good?

[mostlyharmless]

the masters of unprincipled, empty rhetoric cannot conceive that someone might mean what they say, and they are so comfortable with the status quo, that they do not believe us when we demand change . . . we were begging for change long before obama declared his candidacy and uttered a single, beautiful word

[obamajusrocks]

that mccain ad sucks

[TchoupitoulasCanal]

My dad is a Vietnam vet. Was shot in the leg while on tour in that war. For the first time ever I saw my father get visibly angry when he watched this video, then said "How long is this man going to keep beating us over the head with his war service. If he thinks his life is tough now he needs to go to a VA hospital and get a reality check. Enough already."

I often agree with my dad. I definitely agree with him on this one.

[kimbari]

Your dad is the shizzle.

[gallonjug]

Your father is a true american hero. I am not often moved by posts on this site, but got a lump in my throat reading this. Made me realize how much quiet dignity our vets have-- especially Purple Hearts like your dad. He has every right to be angry all day every day, and yet he put that aside for you. It's amazing what we've asked of our soldiers over the years-- I've never put on the uniform in war, don't know if I could. But thank God for men like your father. Please give him my profound thanks, for what it's worth. He deserves more from his government than what he's getting. Let's hope President Obama has more respect for the sacred sacrifice of our soldiers and vets.

[SeriousBlack]

Right on.