The tone of the rhetoric in the U.S. presidential campaign is sharpening with less than a week to go until Election Day. Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain are focused on the economy and each other in the final days of the campaign, as we hear from VOA National Correspondent Jim Malone in Washington.
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By JIM KUHNHENN
WASHINGTON (AP) — He was the family man, the solutions-driven politician, the gifted orator. But for those who still harbor doubts about his candidacy, Barack Obama sought to present a special image — a man ready to sit in the Oval Office.
Amid a pastiche of American stories, the Democratic presidential nominee spent 30-minutes and more than $4 million of prepaid television time Wednesday delivering his final introduction to the public.
He capped the prime-time commercial with a live address from Sunrise, Fla., with a full-throated appeal for help and for votes.
"If you'll stand with me, and fight by my side, and cast your ballot for me, then I promise you, we will not just win Florida, we will win this election. And together we will change this country and change the world," he said to a roaring crowd.
The commercial and his live remarks from one of the main battlegrounds in the presidential contest represented a return to the unifying themes of his speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention that launched him into national politics.
"In six days, we can choose hope over fear and unity over division, the promise of change over the power of the status quo," he said. "In six days, we can come together as one nation, and one people, and once more choose our better history."
The ad was a dashing display of Obama's fundraising prowess. He bought his way into millions of American homes just six days before the end of an exhausting, 21-month quest for the presidency.
As a message, the ad was equal parts Americana, stump speech and quasi-presidential address. The most formal scenes — Obama describing his government agenda — were filmed in a distinguished looking office with a flag and a backdrop not unlike that of the Oval Office.
The spot was a mix of prerecorded Obama and voters, plus a live appearance from the campaign trail by the candidate. He offered prescriptions for an ailing economy and a rescue plan for a middle class caught in tough times.
"I will not be a perfect president," Obama said. "But I can promise you this — I will always tell you what I think and where I stand."
Aides described the unusual ad as a final summation of Obama's campaign. They put the total cost at roughly $4 million, enough to show it simultaneously on CBS, NBC and Fox. It also ran on BET, Univision, MSNBC and TV One.
Besides the Oval Office setting, the commercial included views of Obama speaking at the 2004 and 2008 Democratic conventions and elsewhere, as well as scenes of Americans discussing their economic and health care troubles, and testimonials to him by politicians and business executives.
The ad showed his wife, Michelle, and his two daughters as well as photos of his black father from Kenya and white mother from Kansas.
Without the money to match the commercial, Republican rival John McCain sniped at the man and the moment.
"He's got a few things he wants to sell you: He's offering government-run health care ... an energy plan guaranteed to work without drilling ... and an automatic wealth spreader that folds neatly and fits under any bed," McCain said during a campaign stop in Florida.
McCain also criticized Obama for having signed a pledge to accept federal funds for the fall campaign and then breaking his word.
By opting out of the public financing, Obama was free to raise unheard of millions for the final weeks of the race, and afford costly events such as the television commercial.
After months of campaigning, Obama offered no new proposals in the ad. Instead, he stressed his plan to offer tax cuts to the middle class, "restore the long-term health of our economy and our middle class."
Obama said the nation's neglected problems predate President Bush, but that the economic crisis was a "final verdict on eight years of failed policies."
The video featured footage shot by Davis Guggenheim, the director and executive producer of former Vice President Al Gore's global warming documentary "An Inconvenient Truth." Guggenheim also produced and directed the HBO series "Deadwood." In the commercial, his scenes play out against a soaring score.
The ad did not appear on ABC because by the time the network decided to offer the time slot to Obama, his campaign had already finalized the ad buy, according to people familiar with the discussions who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly.
Earlier, taping an appearance on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" for broadcast Wednesday night, Obama said he had to reassure one of his daughters that the commercial would not pre-empt all programming.
"I was describing this to Michelle and my daughters, and Malia, who's 10, said, 'Hold up a second. Are you saying that my programs are going to be interrupted?' I said, 'No, we didn't buy on Disney.' So she was relieved."
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