Mr. Clean Politics

For many years, a significant element in John McCain's public image has been that he's the Washington maverick who wants to clean up our politics. Part of this image has hinged on him being unwilling to stoop to misleading or dishonest or personal attack ads. This was perhaps most famously illustrated by his condemnation of George W. Bush during a debate in South Carolina in 2000, after surrogates for the Bush campaign ran ads and push polls spreading smears about McCain's wife and adopted child. But it also was reinforced by his criticism of the Swift Boat ads that helped torpedo John Kerry in 2004. In 2008, he appears to have decided that he can't win as Mr. Clean, and the most recent evidence is this new ad:



The ad is premised on falsehoods and half-truths about Obama's activities during his recent trip abroad, and the tag line suggests that only McCain of the two cares about his country more than his political ambitions. Watch the ad and decide for yourself whether that's true of McCain.