McCain Stays Positive In New Ad About A "Broken" Washington

Washington, D.C. (AHN) - In stark contrast to his previously controversial Paris Hilton commercial, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) began running a new TV ad on Tuesday that made no mention of his rival and reprised his primary campaign approach of touting his maverick record as a Republican.

The minute-long spot titled "Broken" indirectly attacks the Bush administration and depicts McCain as a lonesome figure against both traditional Democratic and Republican politics.

"Washington's broken. John McCain knows it. We're worse off than we were four years ago," an announcer says in the ad. "Only McCain has taken on big tobacco, drug companies, fought corruption in both parties. He'll reform Wall Street, battle Big Oil, make America prosper again. He's the original maverick."

The ad ends with the announcer declaring, "One is ready to lead -- McCain."

In its email announcing the launch of the ad, the McCain campaign cited reports about the Arizona senator's track record fighting for reforms.

"McCain's decade of work on tobacco, one of the most significant efforts of his congressional career, has earned him enmity from the industry and from some fellow Republicans over the years," the Boston Globe said in March.

"He has fought for campaign finance reform, limits on gifts and travel from lobbyists, and extensive public disclosure of lobbyists' activities all of which limit the influence of lobbyists and the companies that hire lobbyists in Washington, D.C.," Public Citizen reported in February.

McCain's sudden focus on his maverick legislative record comes after several weeks of acrimonious back-and-forth exchanges with Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL). Both candidates accused each other of launching negative attacks that have diverted the attention away from issues. McCain, however, came out of the losing end of the exchange, with conservatives expressing concern about his growing aggressiveness and pundits taking note of his poor record using negative campaign tactics.

A CNN/ Opinion Research survey said last Thursday that Obama also seems to be relatively unaffected by criticism from McCain that his overseas tour was more apt for a president than a candidate, that he neglected visiting wounded American soldiers in German hospitals, and that he has been a presumptuous rather than a presumptive presidential nominee.

More than two-thirds of voters think the freshman Democrat's overseas trip was appropriate; 72 percent believe Obama cares about U.S. soldiers and veterans, and 30 percent say he has been arrogant.

Moreover, 40 percent of voters believe McCain is making unfair attacks against Obama, while only 22 percent believe Obama is unfairly attacking his rival.