In which a 90-year-old Maverick, serving his fifth term as president after declaring martial law and suspending the Constitution, conscripts young Alex to walk the beat in Baghdad. Either that or mom here hasn’t yet grasped that (a) President McCain won’t be setting Iraq policy for the next 18 years, let alone the next hundred, (b) MoveOn’s candidate of choice has himself been dropping some dark hints lately about “tactical readjustments,” and (c) whether McCain and the military can have her son is, um, up to her son, not her. The left (or at least the segment that MoveOn represents) still hasn’t quite accepted the idea of a volunteer military. If you enlist, it can only be because you were somehow forced — through a draft or, per Charlie Rangel and Waffles, through economic hardship. No one serves because they want to. Which makes this ad the flip side of liberals wondering why Bush hasn’t “sent” his daughters to war. Mom’s not sending Alex and you can’t “take” him, either, even if he wants to go.

He sure does make a cute human shield for MoveOn, though, doesn’t he? Chuck Todd thinks the ad will backfire. I don’t think anyone will care enough either way.