'I hate war'

A very effective message:



Part of an early "definition" strategy: Define yourself before your opponent does. Knowing that the Democrats will try to brand him a bloodthirsty warmonger, McCain gets up an ad conveying the opposite message.

This in some ways resembles how Nixon defanged the anti-war Democrats and did a ju-jitsu on McGovern in 1972. After 1969, Nixon pursued a "Vietnamization" process, sharply reducing the U.S. troop presence and the need for large draft call-ups. He simultaneously pushed hard for a peace treaty, so that by fall 1972, Nixon's "Peace With Honor" message was not only far more palatable than McGovern's "Peace Now" message, but in effect rendered the McGovern message moot.

Yesterday, Time's Mark Halperin accused McCain of underestimating Obama. But it is Halperin and other Obama enthusiasts who are guilty of underestimation, if they believe that the Republican message team plans to let McCain become a fixed target passively absorbing Democratic attacks. This ad shows Team Maverick's willingness and ability to shift the national-security debate away from the static "pro-war/anti-war" argument that the Democrats believe will win for them.

Team Maverick has also engaged in similar "repositioning" on domestic and economic issues, in an effort to prevent the candidate from being perceived as a Bush clone. It will be interesting to see how Team Obama reacts to their opponent's target-shifting tactics.