Clint Eastwood stars in new pro-Romney ad

In a convention otherwise scripted down to the second, Clint Eastwood's appearance was the one unrehearsed moment. But, did Eastwood's "distraction" take away from Mitt Romney's big moment? Anthony Mason reports.

Actor and director Clint Eastwood is back on the political stage in a new pro-Mitt Romney TV ad. But unlike his ad-libbed speech at the Republican National Convention, Eastwood uses no empty chairs and no comedy in the sober - and scripted - ad from the third-party political group, American Crossroads. (Watch Eastwood's convention speech below.)

In the ad, Eastwood says "America's been knocked down" and that President Obama needs to be held "accountable." In the 30-second spot, Eastwood points to high unemployment and deficits.

"Obama's second term would be a rerun of the first, and our country just couldn't survive that," Eastwood says. "We need someone who can turn it around fast. That man is Mitt Romney. There's not much time left and the future of our country is at stake."

The ad, "At Stake," will run in seven states - Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio and Virginia - and is part of a larger $12.6 million multi-ad campaign and is in addition to the $4.2 million ad buy targeting women voters released Tuesday by sister organization Crossroads GPS.

Another component of today's ad buy from the Karl Rove-backed group includes a spot airing in Colorado, Iowa, Ohio and Virginia focusing on small businesses. Small business owner Barbara Spyridakis says "the last four years have been really tough." Skip Wolfford, another business owner, says "Obama's policies are the problem."

The third new ad, airing in Ohio, New Hampshire, Nevada, Florida and Virginia focuses on China policy, an issue Mitt Romney has been touting heavily on the campaign trail, especially in Midwestern battleground states. In the ad, a narrator says the president "talked tough on China" but "Obama's given China a free pass."

Showing a picture of Mr. Obama greeting, and bowing, to Chinese President Hu Jintao, the narrator concludes, "The more Obama borrows on China, the more we'll have to bow to China."

Play Video

[susieq64]

The woman in the Romney ad says her children are now in debt. This 'businesswoman' doesn't know there have been national debts to pay long before Obama took office. I wouldn't let her company paint a fence post.

[Ajord]

I love the ad and I think Clint Eastwood is an incredible actor and director. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is still one of my favorite movies. He took a stand that is unpopular in Hollywood and I respect him for that. If John Wayne were still alive, who would he endorse and would the liberals all hate him for it? There is one sure similarity between the characters Eastwood usually plays in the movies and the real Clint Eastwood: He has guts.

[buudy1]

Eastwood always played a bigot, I guess that he wasn't acting as a bigot, he is!

[filmguy107]

Eastwood lost his soul.

[superdem1]

I never liked Mr. Eastwood's movies, I always thought there was an unrelenting violence to all of them, and his "cool" demeanor was never winning for me. But I had no idea what his politics were, and now he has tied it all together for me - the man's crazy. That ironic "cool" was merely a fabrication to cover a deep seated burning confusion which is now bursting forth in his support for a politician with no moral foundation whatsoever. It's all about the money. This entire election is being bought by the wealthy elite. It doesn't matter what comes out of Mr. Romney's mouth, or where his campaign money comes from, the racists are out to elect a white President backed by the corporations. This election is so corrupt it is making Richard Nixon's look "bush league" - pun intended.

[Wingfold]

Hi,

I agree wholeheartedly with my fellow Canadian AWARUNKY. The United States needs the financial expertise of Mitt Romney, not the callow Barack Obama. Romney served a good term as Massachusetts Governor, he saved the Salt Lake City Olympics by not only pulling it out of debt but turning a $100 million profit. This is the guy you want running the country. Why do we Canadians care? Lots of reasons but the big one is the POTUS isn't just the leader of America, the POTUS is the leader of the free world. As America goes, so goes the free world.

[no1blonde]

Good, you take him

[Wingfold]

We've already got Stephen Harper, a razor sharp economist who has the house in order. Romney could do the same for the U.S.

[Mr_Maz]

@Scimajor Well Said!

[lifeduringwartime]

If we survived eight years of the crookedest and the dumbest s.o.b.'s to ever disgrace the highest office in the land with Bush and Dick head four more of the current prez will be a cake walk.

[pcfpgarty]

Have you ever noticed that a president during his administration never gets much real good said about him . Yet upon death we seem to be able , even with the least popular , to find something complimentary . I guess that is primarily out of respect for the dead . It might not only do the President good but The Office of The Presidency as well , if we gave the same respect to the President while he is in office as well as in death. It is not impossible to respectfully disagree . However I have no intentions of giving the respect due the office of the Presidency to such as Mr Eastwood . Unless , of course he gets voted into that office , but I don't expect that of someone who is convinced that meaningful negotiations take place at gun point.

[Mr_Maz]

China owns a lot of debt from soverign nations. The stupidity of this ad and of those that believe it is astounding. How much of that $1.5trillion is a direct consequence of the Obama presidency? what was there and commited to before Obama came into power? the USA went from a country in severe decline in the final year of Bush and 6 months after and has slowly turned around under the worst global economic disaster ever. How many Jobs were lost due the economic slide and the disasterour presidency of GWB? How anyone can have any faith in people like Romney scares me, if you think it's been tough under Obama whilst he has lead you through the toughest 4 years in Modern history, be prepared to suffer like never before if Romney wins. that is unless you are in the top 5% of earners and happened to have paid him millions for future promises.