Thu, May 08, 2008 - 1:07 PM

John McCain’s campaign just sent around a message that tactfully combines a fundraising plea with a Mother’s Day message.

Along with the message, signed by his wife Cindy, is a link to a Web video with McCain and his 96-year-old mother, Roberta.

In the short video set to “Leave it to Beaver” type music, Roberta McCain talks about the day her son was born and says he was the “sweetest, nicest child I’ve ever known.”

That may come as a shock to some who have been victims of McCain’s infamous temper, although Roberta McCain concedes her son is “not perfect.”

Also interesting are the labels that pop up identifying John McCain as the son and Roberta McCain as the mother. Given the concerns that the 71-year-old McCain is too old to be president, was the McCain camp nervous that viewers may think Roberta McCain is his wife?

-- Amy Dominello

Can you say acronym overkill?

The Republican Party of Virginia can.

The GOP launched the AG-LG-RPV challenge today. Don’t know what that stands for? Well, duh, the letters stand for Attorney General-Lieutenant Governor-Republican Party of Virginia.

Attorney General Bob McDonnell, Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling, and Virginia Republican Party Chairman John Hager are leading the effort to build up the party’s grassroots organization. The challenge calls for doubling the size of every local Republican committee before Labor Day. And there is a cash reward.

The party said in a statement that committees that meet the challenge will get more funding for this fall’s get-out-the-vote efforts.

“The goal of the AG-LG-RPV challenge is to help our local Republican committees recruit a new generation of volunteers,” said Bolling, who is seeking the governor’s mansion in 2009. “If we do this effectively, it will improve our chances of victory in 2008 and 2009.”

To win the cash prize, committees will also be tested on the letters in the acronym. Kidding, of course.