McCain plays up reformer image in TV ads

TITLE: "American Reformer"

LENGTH: 30 seconds

AIRING: Michigan

SCRIPT: John McCain: "Since I've been in Washington, I've made a lot of people angry. I upset corrupt lobbyists and special interests when I passed campaign finance reform. I made the Pentagon angry when I took on Rumsfeld and said we needed a different strategy in Iraq. I angered the big spenders in Congress by opposing their pork projects and calling for ethics reform. I don't like the business as usual crowd in Washington. But I love America. I love her enough to make some people angry.

"I'm John McCain and I approve this message."

KEY IMAGES: McCain appears in a close up, speaking directly to the camera against a dark background. The words "Senator John McCain" and "reformer" appear during brief, gauzy fade-outs.

ANALYSIS: This ad is an abbreviated version of a 60-second ad McCain first aired in New Hampshire in late November. As then, the Arizona senator is evoking the maverick image that won over New Hampshire and Michigan independent voters in 2000. McCain is hoping that a victory in New Hampshire on Jan. 8 will invigorate his Michigan supporters when the state holds its primary on Jan. 15. Michigan's independent voters could be a significant force in the Republican contest because Democratic presidential candidates have agreed not to compete in the state. (Michigan moved up the date of its primary in violation of Democratic Party rules).

McCain, who began this campaign aiming to be the candidate of the Republican Party establishment, is back to a candidacy that suits his style. He is casting himself as the reformer who has taken on special interests, his colleagues in Congress and his own president's secretary of defense.

He has a prickly relationship with congressional appropriators for his tendency to highlight pork-barrel projects in spending bills. And while he was, in fact, a vocal critic of Rumsfeld's war strategy, he is now just as vocal a supporter of Bush's troop surge in Iraq. His support for changes in campaign finance law didn't just anger special interests and corrupt politicians — most congressional Republicans and leading conservatives criticized it as a muzzle on free speech.

The ad displays McCain's combative style. Indeed, the politician who has been angriest in some of these confrontations with his foes has been McCain himself.

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TITLE: "Better Prepared"

LENGTH: 30 seconds

AIRING: New Hampshire

SCRIPT: McCain: "Eight years ago, New Hampshire stunned the political world. You turned convention on its head because you didn't care what the experts or the media said. My friends, it's a different time, but it's the same place. You haven't changed and neither have I. But the issues are tougher and the times more dangerous. I've learned a lot in eight years. And I feel better prepared than ever to lead this country. Once again, I need your help.

"I'm John McCain and I approve this message."

KEY IMAGES: McCain appears in a close up, speaking directly to the camera against an American flag. The words "Senator John McCain" and "better prepared" appear during brief, gauzy fade-outs.

ANALYSIS: McCain is trying to capture lightning in a bottle once again. New Hampshire was where he delivered George Bush a stunning defeat in the 2000 presidential race. Back then, Bush was too well financed and organized in other states for McCain to capitalize on his New Hampshire victory. This time, McCain is banking on New Hampshire catapulting him ahead of rivals Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani. Polls in the state show him slightly ahead or in a tie with Romney.

McCain had been virtually assigned a political tombstone at the end of the summer, when poor financing and his stance on immigration threatened to end his candidacy. But McCain has staked his campaign on New Hampshire as he has rebounded in the polls.

McCain is 71 years old and his line that he has "learned a lot in eight years" stresses that, yes, you can teach an old dog new tricks.

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Analysis by Associated Press Writer Jim Kuhnhenn

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