Opinion: Today’s new McCain ad quotes Clinton on Obama, asks why she’s not on the ticket

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

Well, it didn’t take long for the campaign of Sen. John McCain to bring his good friend Hillary Clinton into the confrontational mix.

Both senators are on the Armed Services Committee and, as The Ticket wrote back in June, McCain was among the first to befriend Clinton when she arrived in that nearly all-male body in 2001.

Neither attacked the other during the harsh winter primary season.

And, in fact, as The Ticket noted back in June when Clinton dropped out of the Democratic race, McCain’s website posted an immediate tribute to her tenacity and commitment, familiarly titled ‘Hillary Out.’

It took Sen. Barack Obama’s website two days to post the same kind of acknowledgement.

Moments ago, on the eve of the Democratic National Convention in Denver, the Republican’s campaign released a new commercial. Like the one put out 21 hours ago featuring Joe Biden, the Democrats’ new vice presidential pick, this one also uses the words of Democrats to attack members of their own party.

In that first GOP ad after Biden was picked (see two videos below), he was shown talking about his new running mate’s inexperience, a claim the Democrats now attribute to merely primary politics, and about his regard for McCain.

This new Sunday ad is titled ‘Passed Over.’ Aimed clearly at the 18 million disappointed Democrats who voted for her during the long primary season, the ad asks why Clinton was passed over for the No. 2 spot.

It shows Clinton and says:

‘She won millions of votes.

‘But isn’t on his ticket.

‘Why?

‘For speaking the truth.

‘On his plans:

HILLARY CLINTON: ‘You never hear the specifics.’

ANNCR: ‘On the Rezko scandal:

HILLARY CLINTON: ‘We still don’t have a lot of answers about Sen. Obama.’

ANNCR: ‘On his attacks:

HILLARY CLINTON: ‘Sen. Obama’s campaign has become increasingly negative.’

ANNCR: ‘The truth hurt.

‘And Obama didn’t like it.

JOHN MCCAIN: ‘I’m John McCain and I approved this message.’

(UPDATE: The following day a spokeswoman for Clinton said:

‘Hillary Clinton’s support of Barack Obama is clear. She has said repeatedly that Barack Obama and she share a commitment to changing the direction of the country, getting us out of Iraq, and expanding access to health care. John McCain doesn’t. It’s interesting how those remarks didn’t make it into his ad.’)

To view brief videos of both new political commercials, click on the ‘Read more’ line below.

--Andrew Malcolm

And just a reminder that you can join the growing throngs preparing for the rest of this political season and beyond by having every Ticket item -- plus special offline Tweets from The Ticket’s writers starting with the two party conventions -- sent directly to your cellphone.

To register for instant Twitter updates from The Ticket go here and sign up.

The new McCain ad featuring Clinton is here on top. The one from Saturday featuring Biden himself is below. >

. >

While you’re here, why not sign up for free automatic Twitter feeds of all Ticket items straight to your cellphone?

Join the growing throngs preparing for the rest of this political season and beyond by having every Ticket item -- plus special offline Tweets from The Ticket’s writers starting with the two party’s conventions -- sent directly to your cellphone.

To register for instant Twitter updates from The Ticket just go here and sign up.