Click here to watch "Safe."

In John McCain's first major ad buy (subscription) of the general election, he highlights his family's tradition of military service while distancing himself from hawks who would talk "tough or romantically about war." The ad debuted Friday in nearly a dozen crucial battleground states, where McCain hopes to woo former supporters of Hillary Rodham Clinton before party lines reharden.

The ad maintains an appropriately somber tone throughout, positioning McCain's face in shadows and showing black-and-white images of his family in war over a soundtrack of mournful strings. It stresses that military experience -- something the GOP has repeatedly said its young Democratic opponent lacks -- is crucial to lead a country during a time of war. "I hate war. And I know how terrible its costs are," McCain says near the end of the spot. "I'm running for president to keep the country I love safe."

Earlier McCain ads (subscription) have highlighted the Arizona senator's military track record in other ways, such as focusing on footage (subscription) of a young McCain as a POW in North Vietnam. "Safe," on the other hand, addresses McCain's experiences in war more directly and with less heroic distance. Though he doesn't mention Iraq or Afghanistan by name, McCain's assurances that he does not seek war are clearly intended to dull Democratic efforts to tie him to President Bush's policies regarding pre-emptive attacks.

Negative ads released by MoveOn.org and the Democratic National Committee in April contended that military policy under a President McCain would be indistinguishable from the Bush administration -- a charge Barack Obama has also stressed.