Kerry Condems MoveOn Ad

• August 18, 2004

John Kerry has condemed a recently-releaed MoveOn.org ad accusing Bush of being AWOL from his National Guard service.

WASHINGTON – John Kerry on Tuesday condemned a television ad that criticizes President Bush’s Vietnam-era service in the Texas Air National Guard, even as prominent veterans linked to the Democratic presidential campaign echoed the commercial’s accusations.
Bush’s campaign accused Kerry of hypocrisy.
In a campaign shadowed by the war on terror, the military records of Kerry and Bush emerged again as an issue after Republican Sen. John McCain called on Kerry to denounce an ad that accuses Bush of using family connections to avoid the Vietnam War.
McCain, a decorated Vietnam veteran with the reputation of a political maverick, had called on Bush two weeks ago to condemn an ad in which several veterans accused the Kerry of fabricating his war record.

Well that’s rather convenient. Kerry has never condemed the smear ads from MoveOn and other groups aimed at Bush in the past. How perfect that MoveOn would present him with an ad so that he can begin his condeming at such an oppurtune time.
Now Kerry can claim that he has condemed an attack ad on Bush and speculate as to why Bush won’t do the same.
To me this condemnation of one MoveOn ad isn’t enough for Kerry to claim the moral high-ground on this issue. He needs to condem MoveOn as an organization and call for a halt to the Bush-hatred permeating from the left.

Tags: General

http://txfx.net/ Mark J

Why hasn’t Bush done the same? He doesn’t even need to come out that strongly.

“I think that a descent into personal attacks about events that occured decades ago only distracts from the real issues at hand.”

I don’t see how he has anything to lose with that approach. But hey… maybe I just can’t see the whole picture.
http://www.cranialcavity.net/ marc

I believe this goes a little further than Kerry’s single ad condemnation.

Q Do you — does the President repudiate this 527 [swiftboat] ad that calls Kerry a liar on Vietnam?

MR. McCLELLAN: The President deplores all the unregulated soft money activity. We have been very clear in stating that, you know, we will not — and we have not and we will not question Senator Kerry’s service in Vietnam. I think that this is another example of the problem with the unregulated soft money activity that is going on. The President thought he put an end — or the President thought he got rid of this kind of unregulated soft money when he signed the bipartisan campaign finance reforms into law.

And, you know, the President has been on the receiving end of more than $62 million in negative attacks from shadowy groups. The President is calling for an immediate cessation to all the unregulated soft money activity. He believes that it should all be stopped. The unregulated soft money activity that is going on does nothing to elevate the discourse. We hope the Kerry campaign will join us in calling for an end to all the unregulated soft money ads and activity.

If Kerry really wanted to stop this individual ad he could always personelly answer the questions raised by the ad. But he can’t, at least honestly. It is much easier to send his surrogates to MSNBC’s Hardball and with the full participation of the host gang up on the one guest that was speaking out against Kerry.
http://sayanythingblog.com robport

I think Bush hasn’t condemed the Swiftboat ads because he beleives what the veterans are saying. The swiftboat vets are backed up with signed affidavits, documentation and eye-witnesses. The MoveOn ads were basically just sniping, misleading ads based on nothing more than speculation or rhetoric.

Bush is doing a smart thing. He’s not officially calling into question Kerry’s military service. Instead he’s staying quiet on the issue and waiting to see how the claims from the Swiftboat Vets pan out.

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Kerry Condems MoveOn Ad

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