To help stem the tide of publicity for the new Kerry-Edwards ticket, the Bush campaign will be rolling out a new TV ad featuring John McCain.
President Bush’s re-election campaign has a television ad in the works featuring former Republican rival John McCain and advisers are weighing whether to air it when Democrat John Kerry announces his vice presidential pick.
McCain, the Arizona senator who rejected Kerry’s overtures to be No. 2 on the Democratic ticket, campaigned with Bush in Fort Lewis, Washington, last month. Bush’s admakers filmed the appearance and the footage is being included in an ad, according to GOP sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the plans remain incomplete.
As strategies go, this is fairly clever. The media’s love for McCain will guarantee plenty of free media for the ad and it will remind everyone that Kerry considered McCain as a possible running mate this year.
It turns out McCain didn’t actually take the time to actually film a new commercial for Bush, rather, BC04 simply recorded a recent introduction McCain delivered and have turned it into an ad. Here’s the ad’s “script,” via The Note:
Sen. McCain: “It’s a big thing this war. It’s a fight between right and wrong, good and evil. And should our enemies acquire for their arsenal the chemical, biological and nuclear weapons they seek, this war will become an even bigger thing. It will become a fight for our survival.
“America is under attack by depraved enemies who oppose our every interest and hate every value we hold dear. It is the great test of our generation and he has led with great moral clarity and firm resolve. He has not wavered, he has not flinched from the hard choices, he was determined and remains determined to make this world a better, safer, freer place. He deserves not only our support but our admiration. That’s why I am honored to introduce to you the President of the United States, George W. Bush.”
That’s not a bad spot, but if Bush wants to exploit McCain’s good name, I think it’s only fair to highlight a few other details about McCain’s recent record.
* McCain opposed Bush’s tax cuts, calling them “irresponsible.”
* McCain voted against Bush’s Medicare plan, calling it “mind-boggling.”
* McCain recently said he believes the Republican Party has “gone astray.”
* McCain fought the Bush White House on campaign finance reform, federalized airport security after 9/11, showing photos of soldiers’ coffins returning from Iraq, and creating an independent commission to investigate pre-war intelligence failures in Iraq.
* In describing John Kerry, McCain said the Dem nominee is “smart, he’s tough, and he’s experienced. He has the capability…. It’s hard to know what the atmosphere is out there, but I’m confident John Kerry can connect with people in the same way [I did in 2000].”
* McCain rejected Bush administration complaints and worked with Senate Democrats to craft legislation on a patients’ bill of rights, better fuel-efficiency standards, reducing greenhouse gasses, whistleblower protection, and requiring background checks at gun shows.
* McCain has said Bush’s approach to funding national security is fundamentally flawed. “Throughout our history, wartime has been a time of sacrifice…. What have we sacrificed? … I don’t remember ever in the history of warfare when we cut taxes.”
Yes, McCain has demonstrated his loyalty to his party by endorsing Bush, but keep this list in mind if you see the new campaign ad on TV.