WASHINGTON -- With South Carolina critical to his campaign strategy, Sen. John McCain's new advertisements there feature a local favorite who takes aim at President Clinton rather than Republican rival George W. Bush.

Rep. Lindsey Graham, who endorsed the Arizona senator in June, touts McCain as the man to "bring honor back to the Oval Office."

"John McCain is the polar opposite of Bill Clinton," Graham, R-S.C., says in a radio ad that began airing in South Carolina on Monday. "He has absolute total character and candor -- the missing element during the Clinton years."

Graham is not quite as direct in a TV ad that begins airing Tuesday, accusing Clinton of betraying the military. He also mentions McCain's time as a prisoner of war in Vietnam and his efforts to reform campaign finance laws.

The McCain campaign said the ads were being purchased statewide. The television spot will be seen 10 to 12 times over 10 days by the average viewer, said one campaign official, declining to say how much the campaign was spending to air it.

It was spending about $50,000 a week to air the radio ad, the official said.

McCain, who has pulled at least even with the Texas governor in New Hampshire, is counting on South Carolinians to keep momentum going when they vote on Feb. 19. He's targeting his appeal to veterans in the state, hoping his military service will attract support.

Graham, one of McCain's most prominent backers in South Carolina, is playing off his role as one of 13 House Republicans who argued the impeachment case against President Clinton to the Senate.

Graham introduced McCain several times during a recent South Carolina trip by regaling the crowd with stories about the impeachment trial and his involvement in Clinton's prosecution.

"This is an anniversary of sorts," he said. "A year ago, I was looking through some amazing material," he said, referring to independent counsel Kenneth Starr's report.

Graham was raring to talk about impeachment, said Greg Stevens, who produced the ads for McCain.

"He talks about (it) without any prompting from us," he said. "There was no script."

Impeachment, of course, was not popular with most Americans, so there's a small risk that bringing the topic up could come back to bite McCain. But outside observers think that's unlikely.

"For Republican voters, there's not much risk at all," said Andrew Kohut, director of the Pew Research Center. As for the fall, should McCain topple Bush: "I think South Carolina is going to be long forgotten by the time we get to the general election."