Going for Gold? McCain Makes $6 Million Olympic Ad Buy

Not to be outdone by Sen Barack Obama's $5 million advertising buy during NBC Universal's Olympics coverage, Sen John McCain's presidential campaign announced Tuesday a last-minute $6 million ad buy for the games that start on Friday. The McCain campaign's purchase includes network and cable spots. "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery," said Evan Tracey, chief operating officer of the Campaign Media Analysis Group at TNS Media Intelligence. "For the same reason the idea was good for Barack, it is good for McCain: It's high traffic for eyeballs in a normally low-traffic time of year." Tracey speculated that the McCain campaign, which is accepting federal funds for the general campaign, made the last-minute buy to use up money it raised for the primary season. That money can't be spent after the Republican National Convention, which is being held the first week in September.