Opinion: Obama, facing a vet, opens his election ads with patriotism

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Weeks after his presumptive Republican presidential competitor, Sen. Barack Obama is launching his first general election national television ad. And the subject -- patriotism -- shows where his campaign may feel he’s weak right now.

It’s a 60-second biographical spot that will run in 18 states. Candidates like to start off with bio ads so they’re setting the stage with their own narrative, not responding to someone else’s versions.

The ad, entitled ‘Country I Love,’ seeks to highlight Obama’s biography and patriotism. Without military service, he stresses the upbringing of his family in the Kansas heartland and the values of working hard taught in his single-parent home and by his grandparents. He does not mention his life in Hawaii or Indonesia.

His campaign said it will start running the commercials Friday in Alaska, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Virginia.

‘America is a country of strong families and strong values,’ the ad begins. ‘My life’s been blessed by both.

‘I was raised by a single mom and my grandparents. We didn’t have much money, but they taught me values straight from the Kansas heartland where they grew up. Accountability and self-reliance. Love of country. Working hard without making excuses.’

Our colleague John McCormick over at the Swamp has the ad’s complete text.

--Andrew Malcolm