'624787'- New McCain Ad

John McCain, has released his first ad, since unofficially capturing the GOP nomination for president. The :60 second ad is titled "624787."

The ad script reads:

JOHN MCCAIN: Keep that faith. Keep your courage. Stick together. Stay strong. Do not yield. Stand up. We're Americans. And we'll never surrender.

ANNCR: What must a president believe about us? About America?

That she is worth protecting?

That liberty is priceless?

Our people, honorable?

Our future, prosperous, remarkable and free?

And, what must we believe about that president?

What does he think?

Where has he been?

Has he walked the walk?

INTERVIEWER: What is your rank?

JOHN MCCAIN: Lt. Commander in the Navy.

INTERVIEWER: And your official number?

JOHN MCCAIN: 624787

ANNCR: John McCain

The American president Americans have been waiting for.

JOHN MCCAIN: I'm John McCain and I approve this message.

The theme of the ad, "Service to America," will be the name of a national bus tour McCain will embark upon Monday.

In essence, this is the first message of the General Election. Like many campaigns before, it's an attempt to introduce the candidate and his campaign in a certain framework. In 1992, Bill Clinton's campaign first ad featured a young Clinton meeting President John F. Kennedy and it went on to tell the tale of the Man from Hope. In 2004, John Kerry, ran an ad that featured a fellow Vietnam serviceman and his wife to tell his story.

McCain's first ad is an interesting mix of the traditional introduction (as previously exampled) and the approach Ronald Reagan took in his re-election effort in 1984 with "Morning Again in America." McCain reacquaints the viewer with his story, but in the context of what is important to America and our future. It's an interesting an effective hybrid.