A liberal-leaning political action committee is trying to color Sen. John McCain’s potential presidential run.
A television commercial by MoveOn.org Political Action began broadcasting on Wednesday that criticizes McCain’s support for an escalation of U.S. troops in Iraq.
The commercial is set to run in the early primary states, Iowa and New Hampshire, and on national cable news networks. MoveOn.org is spending $250,000 for the ads. McCain has yet to formally announce his candidacy for the 2008 race, but has formed a presidential exploratory committee — the first step toward a campaign by the GOP frontrunner.
The TV commercial serves three goals, according to MoveOn.org: It will get the word out about McCain’s stance on Iraq; it will help strengthen opposition to the idea within Congress; and it will spark a debate about Iraq among 2008 presidential candidates.
The 30-second spot shows photos of McCain flashing a thumbs-up sign and embracing Bush, while an announcer says, “John McCain has done more than just embrace George Bush’s failed policy in Iraq. It’s actually his idea to escalate the war there.”
Officials with McCain’s exploratory committee did not return calls seeking comment about the TV commercials.
However, they told other media that MoveOn.org is out of sync with the majority of Americans.
