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As we mentioned in Starting Gate, John McCain's campaign has released a new ad, "Global," that casts the presumptive GOP nominee as having "stood up" to President George W. Bush. The ad, which focuses on global warming, appears designed to appeal to voters disenchanted with the policies of Mr. Bush, whose approval rating stands at 25 percent.

"John McCain stood up to the President and sounded the alarm on global warming – five years ago," an announcer says in the 30-second spot, following a quick-cut montage of emissions from cars and factories. "Today, he has a realistic plan that will curb greenhouse gas emissions. A plan that will help grow our economy and protect our environment. Reform. Prosperity. Peace. John McCain."

Watch it:



Also today, MoveOn.org Political Action and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees jointly released an ad in which it implies – as many Democrats have – that John McCain wants to keep fighting in Iraq for 100 years. As we outlined here, the Arizona senator suggested in January that the U.S. could maintain a military presence in Iraq for "maybe 100" years. As McCain has repeatedly explained, however, he was talking about a military presence similar to that in Japan or Korea – not the sort of fighting force now in the country.

"Hi, John McCain, this is Alex," a young actress, sitting on a couch with a baby, says in the spot, "Not Alex."

"And he's my first," she continues. "So far, his talents include trying any new food and chasing after our dog. That, and making my heart pound every time I look at him. So, John McCain, when you said you would stay in Iraq for 100 years, were you counting on Alex? Because if you were, you can’t have him."

Watch it:



MoveOn and AFSCME say they will spend $540,000 to air the ad, both nationally and in Ohio, Michigan and Wisconsin, starting tomorrow. They note in a press release that "[p]reliminary testing, conducted by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research shows 'Not Alex' ranking among the most persuasive ads the pollsters have reviewed in the last four years."

Hillary Clinton has a new ad out in Ohio, "Fighter," featuring the state's governor, Ted Strickland – a longtime Clinton friend who has been talked about as a potential vice president for the former first lady.

"We need a president, first of all, who's going to be a fighter," Strickland says in the spot. "That's the way I see Hillary Clinton. Hillary's always been an advocate for the middle class. She's got great plans to create new jobs in every part of Ohio."

Strickland goes on to describe Clinton as a "person of deep faith" who has "devoted her life to caring about other people" and is "fighting for us." Watch below:



Clinton also has a new Ohio radio spot out, "Faith," which also features Strickland – you can hear it here. Strickland again says Clinton "is a person of deep faith" who "understands Ohio very deeply."

Ohio voters go to the polls Tuesday, and a solid win there is considered essential for Clinton to have a legitimate shot at closing the gap on rival Barack Obama.

How non-confrontational were the Republican presidential candidates in last night's debate? They were so nice to one another that even Rudy Giuliani resisted the temptation to get into an argument with anti-war candidate Ron Paul. It was so friendly that the harshest comment came in the form of a joke by nice-guy Mike Huckabee when he suggested that Mitt Romney is chipping away at his children's inheritance by spending so much of his personal fortune on the campaign.

It may have been an amicable exchange but coming just days before Tuesday's important Florida primary it was hardly inconsequential. Some thoughts on the ballet in Boca:

The most recent polls have shown Romney building a very slight lead over the past few days and his debate performance can only help that trend. In a debate with almost no candidate-to-candidate attacks, Romney shined. His grasp of details on a range of issues and his optimistic disposition helped him stand out in a still-crowded field. It didn't hurt that he appeared to get the most time to speak. One trouble spot: Romney was yet again asked about how his Mormon faith might impact voters' willingness to back him. It wasn't a problem because of his answer but because it remains an issue for him. Still, if Romney wins on Tuesday, we might look back at last night as a key moment.

John McCain looked like the front-runner he is, at least nationally, and the rest of the field was very deferential to him, which gives him some gravitas everyone else lacks. And his strong stances on the war and flashes of humor serve him well in these debates. But McCain stumbled a bit on economic issues, falling back on generalities and well-worn rhetoric about spending restraint and bridges to nowhere.

For a candidate who may be facing his final days in the race, Rudy Giuliani didn't appear anxious to find ways to separate himself from the field. His appeal to Florida voters on issues like a national fund to help the state's hurricane insurance problems was clear but he didn’t find ways to hammer those points home. The most telling moment was when he compared his chances to those of the New York Giants in the Super Bowl. Being that big an underdog at the most important moment in his campaign doesn't exactly project a lot of confidence.

Mike Huckabee's populist economic message may make a lot of sense to many voters but they're probably not the ones who will be voting in Florida on Tuesday – or many other Republican primaries to come. Sounding like FDR at times, Huckabee's suggestion that the federal stimulus package would be better spent building roads seemed out of place. Huckabee's biggest economic worry is the financial health of his own campaign, something that won't be corrected by anything he said last night.

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It's not just the Democrats who can't stop talking about change. On the eve of the New Hampshire primary, Mitt Romney has made it his closing argument.

In a two-minute spot to air tonight on New Hampshire and Massachusetts television, Romney says "those who’ve spent their careers in Washington can’t change Washington" – a not-so-veiled attempt to highlight John McCain's many years in the Senate.

They've failed at fixing schools, at fixing health care, and at securing borders, Romney says. "We need new energy, we need new ideas, and we need new leaders," he continues. "We need people who can turn around Washington. I’m the only candidate for President who’s done that in the real world."



Romney's campaign strategy has long been to build momentum by winning the early voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire. But Romney lost to Mike Huckabee in Iowa, and a New Hampshire loss would be another significant blow to his campaign. Recent polls show the former Massachusetts governor trailing McCain by about 5 points in the Granite State.