Strickland laughs off inclusion in McCain ad

He’s also confident voters don’t care if he switches from supporting Clinton.

COLUMBUS (AP) — Gov. Ted Strickland, a prominent former backer of Hillary Rodham Clinton, has an unwelcome cameo in a new ad bashing Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama.

It’s typical of the rough-and-tumble campaign heating up as Democrats, including Strickland, gather in Denver for their national convention.

Strickland, the first Democratic governor elected in Ohio in 20 years, spoke at the convention late Tuesday.

His speech followed the release of the “3 a.m.” ad by the campaign of Republican rival John McCain that uses one of Clinton’s own primary ads to attack Obama.

The original “3 a.m.” ad featured a telephone ringing early in the morning to pose the question to voters who they would want to answer it. The implication was Obama had far less experience than Clinton.

The new ad lifts the opening images from the original ad, including the sound of the ringing telephone. It moves on to pictures of tanks, a rocket lifting off and masked men marching with guns.

“Uncertainty,” an ominous voice says, accompanying the images. “Dangerous aggression. Rogue nations. Radicalism.”

These pictures are followed by footage of Clinton giving a speech during the primary. “I know Senator McCain has a lifetime of experience that he will bring to the White House,” she says.

Then the kicker: “And, Senator Obama has a speech he gave in 2002.”

As Clinton speaks, Strickland leans briefly into the picture.

The ad ends with the announcer saying: “Hillary’s right. John McCain for president.”

Strickland was one of Clinton’s most prominent supporters during the primary. He’s credited with helping guide her to an eight-point thumping of Obama in Ohio’s March primary by urging her to adopt a statewide campaign rather than focus on heavily Democratic urban areas.

Strickland also campaigned for Clinton in Indiana, Iowa and Kentucky. He repeatedly said Obama was less experienced than Clinton.

But Strickland on Wednesday night said he was confident his campaigning for Clinton wouldn’t hurt Obama in Ohio in November. He also laughed off his brief inclusion in the McCain ad.

“Quite frankly, I don’t care what John McCain does with his ads,” he said from the Democratic National Convention. “I think what he’s doing is a little silly and trite. Apparently, he doesn’t understand that there’s an economic crisis evolving in this country.”

Strickland has said voters don’t care whether he switches gears from supporting one candidate to another. People are much more interested in health care, education and ending the war so troops to come home.

Republicans are doing everything they can to exploit tension between former Clinton backers and Obama supporters during the Democratic convention.

The Republican National Committee’s Denver “war room” on Monday presented a trio of Clinton supporters and a former Democratic congressman, each of whom is supporting McCain.

They included Cynthia Ruccia, a longtime Democratic activist and strong Clinton supporter from Columbus who helped start an organization to oppose Obama. She says she is voting for McCain despite her Democratic background.

Clinton supporters are independent voters who want to understand the reasoning of speakers like Strickland and others, said Carly Fiorina, the former Hewlett-Packard CEO turned McCain adviser.

“People will be looking to understand the rationale, besides party loyalty and party unity — what is the specific rationale behind his support of Barack Obama,” Fiorina said of Strickland.

Strickland said he’s confident Democrats will leave Denver as a unified party.

“Clinton demonstrated that the well-being of the country is more important to her than her own political success,” he said, referring to her Tuesday speech at the convention. “The choice right now is between more of George Bush policies and a change in direction.”