Click here to watch "TV Special."

John McCain is going for his David-and-Goliath moment. Cash-poor and trailing in the polls, the Arizona senator is launching a preemptive strike against Barack Obama's 30-minute prime-time TV address tonight with "TV Special" (subscription).

The ad opens by tweaking Obama with the terms of celebrity rhetoric that McCain used this summer: "Behind the fancy speeches, grand promises and TV specials lies the truth," an announcer says. The spot contrasts pictures of Obama speaking, including his infamous Berlin address, with others that embody the hot-button issues of the election. Images of soldiers, foreclosure signs and rows of cars flash across the screen while an announcer asserts that Obama "lacks the experience America needs. And it shows. His response to our economic crisis is to spend and tax our economy deeper into recession."

The last line of the ad is a notable change from McCain's other spots on the experience theme: "The fact is, Barack Obama's not ready yet." The word "yet" may appeal to those voters who are wary of the Democrat's lack of experience but still like the idea of him in the White House. By ending on that word, McCain is effectively saying that he's the safer bet now without entirely dismissing Obama.