John McCain’s new “Man in the Arena” ad seeks to place him alongside Winston Churchill and Teddy Roosevelt as a brave defender of honorable principles, a man not content with pointing out problems from the sidelines. There are Churchill quotes and TR quotes interspersed with the words of McCain himself. The fact that the candidate doesn’t seem absolutely ridiculous inserting himself in such company says, I think, quite a lot.

What does strike me as odd is the cosmic imagery that pops up: supernovae and the black reaches of outer space. It’s one thing to try and elevate yourself to the level of an historical figure, but quite another to connect your cause to the basic, primal mysteries of existence. It’s hard to interpret the intended message without getting into very heady stuff. Is he making the claim that honor and courage are constitutive physical laws of the universe? Or is he trying to go phenomenon-to-phenomenon with Obama?

Karol Sheinin thinks he smiles too much throughout. But I say McCain can come off as a cranky warrior and could stand a touch of light-heartedness.