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A Kinder, Gentler Mccain?

Here's the 30-second ad McCain is running in response to Obama's 30-minute TV special:

It's a fairly standard negative spot--until the very last line, which asserts that Obama's "not ready . . . yet." It's the "yet" that's interesting--as if it's finally dawned on the McCain folks that a lot of Americans actually like Obama and don't really buy the notion that he's a dangerous radical intent on installing Weather Underground alums in key cabinet posts. McCain seems to be acknowledging voters' warm feelings toward Obama and even sort of agreeing with them, with the crucial caveat that he thinks Obama still needs some seasoning. Maybe McCain's final hail mary is to pledge to serve one term . . . and then to pledge his support to Obama in 2012.

P.S. For what it's worth, I actually thought the McCain ad one Corner reader proposed to Rich Lowry would have been more effective:

"Hi, I'm John McCain.  You won't be seeing a 30-minute ad from my campaign tonight for a very simple reason.  I kept my word.  Both Barack Obama and I both promised you we would accept public financing and abide by the limitations associated with it.  I kept my word, Obama broke his promise to you, the American people.  You are going to hear a lot of promises from Obama tonight.  He will promise a middle class tax cut.  He made the same promise to the voters in Illinois when he ran for the Senate, that he would propose a middle class tax cut.  He broke his word, and instead voted 94 times for tax increases, including tax increases on anyone making over $42,000.  So when you hear Obama make his promises tonight, keep in mind that he has a history of making promises during the campaign, but after the election he doesn't keep them.  I am proud of my history of keeping promises.  I think the citizens of this great country deserve a President they can trust - one who tells you the truth during the campaign and keeps his promises after the election."

--Jason Zengerle