Ad wars

The problem with Hillary Clinton’s new ad asking who do you want to take the 3am crisis call is that there’s no clear reason for people to think that Hillary would react better than Barack Obama. Indeed, the Obama camp instantly hit back with an ad pointing her support for the Iraq war, an albatross around her neck with Democratic primary voters, while the Clinton camp couldn’t point to a moment where Hillary has been tested by a foreign policy crisis when asked by a reporter. Instead, they had to resort to talking about her work on the armed services committee, military endorsements and the speech she gave on women’s rights in Beijing back when she was first lady. So, an ad that could have worked—there’s no doubt that Obama’s inexperience makes him vulnerable on national security—doesn’t. There’s no doubt that John McCain will run ads like this in the fall and given his record—leader of the largest squadron in the US Navy among other things—they will be far more effective.

Hillary's ad

Obama's response