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 The commercial, set to air on New Hampshire television Thursday, decries a proposal, since scrapped, to spend $1 million for a museum in Bethel, N.Y., site of the August 1969 rock festival. Clinton and her fellow New York senator, Chuck Schumer, had backed the plan.
The ad highlights McCain's criticism of excessive Washington spending, reminds voters of the Arizona senator's decorated war record and shows off his humor.
"A few days ago, Senator Clinton tried to spend $1 million on the Woodstock concert museum," McCain says in the ad, drawn from Sunday's debate on Fox News.
"Now my friends, I wasn't there. I'm sure it was a cultural and pharmaceutical event," he says as images of the crowd and dancing concertgoers are shown. Republican presidential rival Rudy Giuliani, his head thrown back, is shown laughing at the joke during the debate.
Then, the images shift to footage of McCain as a POW in Vietnam.
"I was tied up at the time," he says amid grainy black-and-white shots of a younger McCain strapped to a bed. A Navy pilot, McCain was shot down in 1967 and spent 5 1/2 years in a North Vietnamese prison.
During the debate, McCain's line earned him a standing ovation.
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 The 30-second ad is running in Boston and Manchester, N.H., media markets through Nov. 4 at a cost of more than $100,000, according to data obtained by another presidential campaign.
It is the latest ad to feature McCain's POW biography. The images reinforce McCain's argument that he is the most able to serve as commander in chief.
McCain then returns to his criticism of spending run amok, saying the museum plan is an example of what is wrong in Washington.
"No one can be president of the United States that supports projects such as these," he says.
A Clinton spokeswoman said McCain ignores the increased federal spending driven by the Bush administration.
"Senator McCain should focus more on explaining to New Hampshire voters why he supported the fiscally irresponsible Bush policies that squandered a federal surplus and left us with the largest deficit in American history," Kathleen Strand said. "As president, Senator Clinton will reverse those policies and restore the nation to fiscal responsibility."
[Associated Press; by Philip
Elliott]
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This
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