Click here to watch "Some In Washington."

Iraq has taken some of the limelight back from the weak economy this week as both Barack Obama and John McCain have talked up the topic on the presidential trail. Two third-party groups, meanwhile, are up with new ads calling out certain lawmakers on the war.

Vets For Freedom continues its campaign highlighting the success of the surge strategy in Iraq with its latest ad (subscription), launching today in five battleground states. MoveOn.org Political Action, meanwhile, is chastising (subscription) McCain on national cable for not supporting a timetable to withdraw troops from the region.

In the Vets For Freedom spot, called “Some In Washington,” seven veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan call out Washington critics -- specifically Obama and Sens. Harry Reid, D-Nev., Chuck Hagel, R-Neb. -- for saying early on that the surge would fail. "Some in Washington told us the war was lost," one veteran says. “Others said the surge would fail,” another asserts. "Today, even the harshest critics agree: The surge worked," another one says. The ad concludes by reiterating the message of the group's first ad (subscription): "Finish the job" in Iraq.

MoveOn.org Political Action, on the other hand, isn't too happy about McCain’s rejection of a timetable. In “Timetable,” a narrator says that the Arizona senator is at odds with everyone -- both at home and abroad -- on this issue. "In Chicago, in St. Louis and in Seattle, the American people are demanding a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq," the narrator says. "In Baghdad and Basra and Tikrit, the Iraqi people -- and now the Iraqi prime minister -- are also demanding a timetable. But John McCain doesn't want a timetable."

Continue reading "Of Surges And Timetables" »

Click here to watch "Finish The Job."

As Barack Obama catches heat for "refining" his stance on Iraq, a veterans group has launched a new ad toeing the John McCain line on the war. While the ad does not mention either of the presidential candidates by name, the message is clear: Obama's plan to end the war is misguided.

Vets For Freedom is an organization of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans which, according to its Web site, aims to "educate the American public about the importance of achieving success in these conflicts." The group is embarking this week on a "Four Months, For Victory" media and grassroots campaign, set to run from now until Veterans Day, highlighting what it claims has been the "phenomenal success" of the surge strategy in Iraq .

"Finish The Job" (subscription), which kicks off the media blitz, features six veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts, as well as a mother whose son is still in Iraq, explaining "the facts" on the ground. "Casualties are at an all-time low," one vet states, while another adds, "Al Qaida in Iraq is decimated." A quote from a Washington Post editorial also appears on screen, stating that "the Iraqi government and army have gained control."

Continue reading "Vets For McCain?" »

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."

Continue reading "Playing It 'Safe' In The Swing States" »

Click here to watch "Increase Pressure On Iran."

The Middle East has been in the limelight this past week as top world and national leaders gathered for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee's annual conference in Washington, D.C. Among those who spoke on Israel and peace in the Middle East were Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert [PDF], as well as presidential candidates Barack Obama, John McCain and Hillary Rodham Clinton. One topic has received particular scrutiny at the conference -- Iran and the threat of nuclear weapons.

Nonprofit group The Israel Project released two TV ads on Sunday that capitalize on the attention Israel has been receiving amid the conference, which concluded Wednesday. The first ad (subscription) urges U.S. involvement in Iran. "Isn't it time for the U.S. to use strong economic diplomacy to peacefully stop Iran's nuclear program?" an announcer insists.

The second ad (subscription) focuses on rocket attacks launched against Israel by "Iran-backed Hamas." "Israeli families are being targeted and killed. Children run from playgrounds to bomb shelters," an announcer says. "When will the rockets stop so both sides can live in peace?"

Continue reading "All Eyes On Israel & Iran" »

Click here to watch "Candles."

At least John McCain knows what he'll be up against in the general election. With the Democratic candidates otherwise occupied and six months to go before the presidential vote, there are already two ads on the air that use McCain's "100 years" remarks on Iraq to paint him as a standard-bearer for President Bush's policies.

MoveOn.org today announced the launch of "Candles," which uses the image of a birthday cake with a century's worth of burning candles to characterize McCain's plan for Iraq as dangerously open-ended. "One hundred years in Iraq?" an announcer says. "And you thought no one could be worse than George Bush." "Candles" joins a similar spot put out earlier this week by the Democratic National Committee.

MoveOn is running the ad on nationwide cable, as well as in New Mexico and Iowa -- two likely swing states where McCain has already begun airing general election ads. Republicans have protested that Democrats and outside groups are taking McCain's remarks out of context, but they may have to get used to it. The fact that two ads are already deploying the "100 years" charge against him suggests the soundbite -- as well as the picture of McCain embracing Bush that closes MoveOn's ad -- will only continue to haunt the Arizona senator in the coming months.

Click here to watch "100."

The furor over a Democratic National Committee ad that uses footage of John McCain's "100 years in Iraq" comment has only grown since the spot hit national cable stations on Monday. Before the ad was even on the air, the Republican National Committee released a statement castigating the ad's claims as "distortions and smears," and the GOP has only stepped up the pressure in the following days.

In "100," the DNC condenses McCain's answer from a January town hall event in which he compared a long-term presence in Iraq to U.S. policies in South Korea. "Bush has talked about our staying in Iraq for 50 years," begins a questioner in the audience. "Maybe 100," McCain responds. "That'd be fine by me." The spot then shows scenes of chaos in Iraq, suggesting that McCain was referring to 100 more years of war rather than a peaceful U.S. presence. "If all he offers is more of the same, is John McCain the right choice for America's future?" an announcer asks as the ad concludes.

On Monday, RNC Chairman Mike Duncan called on TV stations not to air "100" and accused national Democrats of illegally coordinating their advertising with the party's presidential candidates. Continuing the tit for tat, DNC Chairman Howard Dean defended the ad in a conference call with reporters yesterday, calling McCain "completely out of touch" on the war.

The RNC isn't the only group leveling accusations of illegal coordination between candidates and outside parties. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee filed a petition with the IRS today challenging the nonprofit status of conservative advocacy group Freedom's Watch, which is running attack ads in the ongoing La.-06 special election.