TITLE: "My Christmas Story"
LENGTH: 30 seconds.
AIRING: Airing first Friday in South Carolina; then New Hampshire.
SCRIPT: McCain: "One night after being mistreated as a POW, a guard loosened the ropes binding me, easing my pain. On Christmas, that same guard approached me, and without saying a word he drew a cross in the sand. We stood wordlessly looking at the cross remembering the true light of Christmas. I'll never forget that no matter where you are, no matter how difficult the circumstances, there will always be someone who will pick you up. May you and your family have a blessed Christmas and happy holidays. I'm John McCain, and I approved this message."
KEY IMAGES: Black-and-white POW footage shows a wounded McCain in a bed with his right arm in a cast. Then a stick draws a cross in soil as a current, black-and-white photo of McCain is superimposed. The closing shot is a color photo of McCain smiling.
ANALYSIS: The ad uses a story McCain frequently tells on the campaign trail about a guard who would slip into his cell at night. McCain spent years in a Vietnamese prison. By pairing his war record with a Christmas spot, it keys on two issues — faith and McCain's veteran status — important to Christian conservatives in South Carolina, and differs from other spots being aired by candidates who focus solely on the holidays. At the same time, McCain stops short of invoking the name of Jesus Christ, which is part of the criticism opponent Mike Huckabee has faced with a Christmas ad that he recently started airing.