For Planned Parenthood, --silence is golden or at least an effective way to get its message across-->John McCain's silence speaks volumes. In a new ad (subscription) released Wednesday, the organization re-airs footage of an interview last week --where-->in which McCain paused for nearly 10 seconds before responding to a reporter's question on whether it was fair for insurance companies to cover Viagra but not birth control.
The 30-second spot devotes almost a third of its time--airtime--> to McCain's pause, --and then plays-->which is followed by his delayed reply: "I don't know enough about it to give you a informed [sic] answer."--McCain says in the ad-->
The spot is part of Planned Parenthood's campaign against the Arizona senator--, which intends to inform voters, especially women, of McCain's--> and his "anti-choice and anti-women's health care record," according to a press release. --Planned Parenthood clearly isn't skimping on buying specific spots to target women.-->The ad ran during Wednesday's premiere of "Project Runway," and will also air during "Army Wives" and "The Oprah Winfrey Show" on local cable channels in a handful of battleground states, including Ohio and Iowa.
The question, posed aboard the Straight Talk Express bus, was prompted by one of McCain's most influential surrogates -- former chief of Hewlett-Packard Carly Fiorina -- when she appeared to criticize health insurance companies for covering Viagra but not birth control. The McCain camp has since sought to clarify the statements Fiorina made and separate her criticism from the candidate.
McCain's "Viagra moment," as it has been dubbed on various political blogs, certainly can't help his courtship of women voters. In a recent Washington Post/ABC News poll, he's trailing Barack Obama among women, 34 percent to 59 percent.