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(DENVER) On the day Hillary Clinton is slated to address the Democratic National convention here, John McCain’s campaign has released a new ad that uses Clinton’s actual “3am” spot from the primaries and includes a quote from Clinton at that time favorable comparing McCain to Barack Obama.

The ad opens with the familiar lines, “it’s 3 a.m. and your children are safe and asleep. Who do you want answering the phone?” Over pictures of missile launches and terrorist training, the announcer intones, “uncertainty dangerous aggression, rogue nations, radicalism.” Then the ad carries a clip from Clinton in the primaries, saying, “I know Senator McCain has a lifetime of experience that he will bring to the White House. And, Senator Obama has a speech he gave in 2002.” The ad ends, “Hillary’s right. John McCain for president.” The campaign says the ad will run in key states. Watch it:

It's 3 am again.

The Clinton campaign today released what chief strategist Mark Penn just characterized during a conference call with reporters as "the second in what's known as the 3 am advertisements."

(The first is here.)

"It’s 3 am, and your children are safe and asleep," an announcer says in the spot, which is set to run in Pennsylvania. "But there’s a phone ringing in the White House and this time the crisis is economic. Home foreclosures mounting, markets teetering. John McCain just said the government shouldn’t take any real action on the housing crisis, he’d let the phone keep ringing. Hillary Clinton has a plan to protect our homes, create jobs. It’s 3 am, time for a president who’s ready."

Watch it:



The first so-called "3 am ad" released by the Clinton camp focused on the risks of "a dangerous world," stressing the importance of having a president who is "tested and ready to lead." The focus on the economy in this new ad echoes Clinton's recent campaign-trail focus on economic issues.

The new ad also marks the first time a Democratic ad in this campaign cycle has mentioned John McCain, according to Clinton communications director Howard Wolfson. Wolfson called the differences between Clinton and McCain on the economy "profound and substantial," while Penn said the new ad highlights the fact that while Clinton "has a plan to end the crisis," McCain does not.

On the conference call, Penn also stressed polls released today that show Clinton faring better than Obama in matchups with McCain in Florida and Ohio. (In the Sunshine State, Clinton leads McCain by two points, while Obama trails by nine; in Ohio, Clinton leads by nine while Obama leads by only one.)

There is a "dramatic difference in the electability of Sen. Clinton in states that have been critical," Penn said.

"The polls continue to build the case that she is the most electable Democrat against John McCain," he added.

The legend of the "3 a.m. phone call" lived on over the weekend, as "Saturday Night Live" began its newest episode with a parody featuring an in-over-his-head President Obama soliciting late-night advice from Hillary Clinton on how to handle a simmering international crisis.



The skit is raising questions about whether the venerable institution that has produced decades of sharp political parody has become a cheerleader for the Clinton campaign. In the three episodes that have aired since the end of the television writers' strike, "SNL" has run a string of apparently pro-Clinton segments, including an endorsement from Tina Fey, a parody on perceived pro-Obama media bias and a self-deprecating appearance by Clinton herself, which may have given her a bump going into Ohio and Texas.

Political reporters were among those who most lamented the writers' strike, which continued through the early stages of the campaign. Without the poignant jabs of late-night comedians, the daily political discourse seemed to be lacking an important element.

How would Letterman have reacted to the now famous tears Hillary Clinton shed while opening up about the pressures of the campaign. What would Jon Stewart have said about Mike Huckabee's bizarre pre-Iowa caucus press conference, in which he announced with great fanfare that he would backtrack on his decision to air a negative advertisement against Mitt Romney before proceeding to show it to the assembled press anyway?

Time and again, parody has inspired what becomes conventional wisdom, and what happens on "Saturday Night" can help set the tone for the week ahead.

As you may have noticed, the Democratic presidential candidates seem to be extremely interested in what might happen at 3:00 in the morning.

First Hillary Clinton put out an ad suggesting that she was best prepared to handle a phone call to the White House at that time of night – when, incidentally, "your children are safe and asleep!"

Then Barack Obama put out his own ad, arguing that he's the one best able to protect your children at 3 a.m.. And Clinton subsequently responded to that one.

One politician who had not weighed in on the 3 a.m. issue, however, is presumptive GOP nominee John McCain. Until now.

As the Associated Press reports, McCain said today that he's the one you want answering that early morning phone call.

`I would believe that my knowledge and experience and background clearly indicates that if the phone rang at 3 a.m. in the White House, and I was the one to answer it, I would be the one most qualified to exercise the kind of judgment necessary to address a national security crisis,'' McCain said.

``I've been involved in every major national security challenge for the last 20 years that has faced this country,'' he added. ``I look forward to having that debate as to who's most qualified in the event of a national crisis and the phone ringing at 3 a.m. in the White House.''

Hillary Clinton's campaign released a provocative ad earlier today in Texas asking the question: When your children are asleep at 3 am and a phone is ringing in the White House, who do you want picking up the phone?

"Your vote will decide who answers that call," an announcer said in the ad, which you can watch here. "Whether it's someone who already knows the world's leaders, knows the military, someone tested and ready to lead in a dangerous world."

Now the Obama campaign has released a response to the Clinton spot. Using a similar setup – the 3 am phone call, the children asleep – the ad makes this argument:

When that call gets answered, shouldn’t the president be the one – the only one – who had judgment and courage to oppose the Iraq war from the start… Who understood the REAL threat to America was al-Qaeda, in Afghanistan, not Iraq. Who led the effort to secure loose nuclear weapons around the globe… In a dangerous world, it’s judgment that matters.

Watch it below: