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MoveOn.org/AFSCME ‘Not Alex’ ad
The ad: “Not Alex,” 30-seconds.
Producer: MoveOn.org and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.
Where to see it: It began airing on Ohio television stations on Tuesday, June 17. View it at DaytonDailyNews.com/eyeonohio.
Script: (Mother speaks as she holds her baby boy, Alex). “Hi, John McCain. This is Alex. And he’s my first. So far his talents include trying any new food and chasing after our dog. That, and making my heart pound every time I look at him. And so, John McCain, when you say you would stay in Iraq for 100 years, were you counting on Alex? Because if you were, you can’t have him.”
Video: The mother sits quietly in what appears to be a living room, cradling Alex. She is smiling at the beginning as she describes Alex, but the smile fades as she delivers the punch line.
Analysis: This commercial is a reminder to politicians: Be careful how you explain things.
At a January town hall meeting in New Hampshire, McCain was asked whether U.S. troops would have to remain in Iraq for as long as 50 years. McCain replied, “Maybe 100.”
But he quickly added, “As long as Americans are not being injured or harmed or wounded or killed, it’s fine with me, and I hope it would be fine with you if we maintain a presence in a very volatile part of the world where al-Qaida is training, recruiting, equipping and motivating people every single day.”
Democrats, including presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, quickly seized on the 100-year comment, but neglected to add McCain’s qualifier. In a sense, McCain was reminding voters that U.S. forces remain in Germany more than 60 years after the end of World War II, and in South Korea more than a half-century since the conclusion of the Korean War.
McCain has said he would withdraw U.S. forces from Iraq only on the advice of his military commanders rather than impose a deadline from Washington.
The commercial is being aired by two liberal organizations, MoveOn.Org and AFSCME, both of which will support Obama in the fall.
As for Alex, he could be the first major child star in a political commercial since 1964, when President Lyndon Johnson ran a TV ad featuring a little girl removing petals from a daisy. The commercial then dissolved into an atomic bomb explosion, a none-too-subtle suggestion that Republican presidential nominee Barry Goldwater wanted to blow up the world. Ironically, Tony Schwartz, the producer of that Daisy ad, died Saturday, June 14, at the age of 84.
Jack Torry is a reporter at The Columbus Dispatch. E-mail: jtorry@dispatch.com.
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Comments
By Ethel S.
June 20, 2008 7:04 PM | Link to this
The baby, Alex, is very cute and seems to have a very sweet relationship with his Mother. But I cannot believe his Mother allowed Alex to be exploited like that in such a fear/war mongering ad. Whether we like it or not, we will be involved in many other countries for several years to come. Sen. Obama said he would bring the troops home in 16 months and he has not yet presented a plan to do so. Sen. McCain is correct to try to stabilize that area because we already won the war. I think that Sen. McCain’s experience is more important than Sen. Obama’s promises. Sen. McCain said it best in his ad, “I hate war.” He speaks from experience.By Mary
June 19, 2008 3:10 PM | Link to this
Even though I share some views of this mom about sons, daughters and war, I think the ad is perpetuating ignorance about McCain’s meaning about 100 years in Iraq. That makes the two organizations using the ad guilty of emotional extortion, fear mongering and deception to elicit votes, just as they blame the right about doing the same thing regarding terrorism. Both the left and the right scare me. McCain so far appears to be more centrist than the opposing groups. I can understand why some of us independents might vote republican for the first time in years if ads like this are used.