Adwatch: Endorsement of Clinton

[Ron Burgundy]

AP - TITLE: "Great Things."

LENGTH: 30 seconds.

AIRING: Iowa.

SCRIPT: Announcer: "The Des Moines Register just endorsed Hillary Clinton. Her readiness to lead sets her apart. From working for children's rights as a young lawyer, to meeting with leaders around the world as first lady, to emerging as an effective legislator, every stage of her life has prepared her for the presidency. She understands the changes needed. But also possesses the discipline and skill to get things done. We believe Hillary Rodham Clinton can do great things for our country." Clinton: "I'm Hillary Clinton and I approve this message."

KEY IMAGES: Excerpts from The Des Moines Register's weekend endorsement of Hillary Rodham Clinton appear over black-and-white images of the New York senator as she works at a desk in a generic office, reading documents, picking up a phone, listening to a speaker and making in the margins of her papers. Clinton wears black-frame glasses in many of the shots. The final image is Clinton looking out on the horizon with the words, "Caucus for Hillary, Thursday, January 3rd."

ANALYSIS: The ad highlights not only the prized endorsement from the Iowa newspaper but excerpts that focus on Clinton's experience as a lawyer, first lady and U.S. senator since January 2001. Clinton is in a tight race in the early voting state with Barack Obama and John Edwards. Both she and her husband, former President Clinton, have questioned whether Obama has the experience to be president.

In an interview broadcast Friday on PBS' "The Charlie Rose Show," Bill Clinton suggested Obama's experience in public life — he served seven years in the Illinois state Legislature before being elected to the U.S. Senate in 2004 — was insufficient.

"I mean, when is the last time we elected a president based on one year of service in the Senate before he started running?" Clinton said. "In theory, we could find someone who is a gifted television commentator and let them run."

The former president said voters who choose Obama would be "rolling the dice."

source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071217/ap_on_el_pr/clinton_adwatch [link]