2008 Woodie Awards
Congressional outrage over ad hypocritical
Guest Column
Ben Holmes
Issue date: 10/2/07 Section: Opinions
Last week, republicans and countless democrats stumbled over each other to condemn the controversial Moveon.org New York Times ad, "General Petraeus or General Betray Us?" President Bush summed up Congress's attitude by denouncing the ad as "disgusting."
The ad questioned whether Gen. David Petraeus, head of U.S. military operations in Iraq, would provide an honest assessment of the conflict or if he would "cook the books." It was condemned overwhelmingly by House and Senate resolutions, receiving the support of many democrats. But is all the criticism warranted?
The straight answer is no. For all of their pious statements, the Republican Party itself has a naughty history of negative advertising that directly assaults the patriotism of military men and women who are democrats. I agree with former President Bill Clinton when he recently blasted the GOP for a strategy of "bait and switch." To highlight this point, let's discuss some recent political history.
In 2002, democratic Sen. Max Cleland of Georgia was engaged in a harsh re-election campaign. The triple-amputee Vietnam veteran, awarded the Silver Star and Bronze Star for valor in combat, was attacked in a television ad paid for by his republican rival Saxby Chambliss, a draft dodger. The ad began with footage of Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein, and then morphed into photos of Cleland; it then claimed the incumbent did not have the "courage to lead" by not supporting all of President Bush's Homeland Security initiatives.
Cleland lost. To be fair, republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona, a veteran, deplored the ad as "reprehensible." But was Chambliss officially condemned by the republican Congress? Did Bush call that ad "disgusting?" No on both counts.
In the 2004 presidential election, Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, another decorated Vietnam veteran, was the target of a vicious ad blitz paid for by Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, a 527 advocacy group formed to defeat Kerry's White House bid. The SBVT gathered numerous sworn affidavits by men who purportedly served with Kerry, claiming that the senator lied about his service and that he may have intentionally exposed or even wounded himself so that he could win Purple Hearts. However, closer examinations into the allegations revealed many inconsistencies and downright falsehoods. One accuser, who said Kerry had fabricated his record, admitted later that he had no firsthand knowledge of the actual events.
Again, McCain came to the aid of a fellow veteran, but it was to no avail-Kerry was sunk by this misinformation campaign. Some rightfully credit Kerry's loss to his own failure to contradict the lies sooner, but nonetheless, it was unequivocally wrong. Were these slanderous "Swift Boat" republicans condemned by Congress or Bush for questioning the patriotism of a recognized war hero? Of course not.
Republicans must either "put up or shut up" about political attack ads. Their own "patriotic" party has slandered American heroes, so until they right those wrongs, their outrage is very disingenuous. Political hypocrisy is disgusting, but it is neither new nor rare.
The ad questioned whether Gen. David Petraeus, head of U.S. military operations in Iraq, would provide an honest assessment of the conflict or if he would "cook the books." It was condemned overwhelmingly by House and Senate resolutions, receiving the support of many democrats. But is all the criticism warranted?
The straight answer is no. For all of their pious statements, the Republican Party itself has a naughty history of negative advertising that directly assaults the patriotism of military men and women who are democrats. I agree with former President Bill Clinton when he recently blasted the GOP for a strategy of "bait and switch." To highlight this point, let's discuss some recent political history.
In 2002, democratic Sen. Max Cleland of Georgia was engaged in a harsh re-election campaign. The triple-amputee Vietnam veteran, awarded the Silver Star and Bronze Star for valor in combat, was attacked in a television ad paid for by his republican rival Saxby Chambliss, a draft dodger. The ad began with footage of Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein, and then morphed into photos of Cleland; it then claimed the incumbent did not have the "courage to lead" by not supporting all of President Bush's Homeland Security initiatives.
Cleland lost. To be fair, republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona, a veteran, deplored the ad as "reprehensible." But was Chambliss officially condemned by the republican Congress? Did Bush call that ad "disgusting?" No on both counts.
In the 2004 presidential election, Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, another decorated Vietnam veteran, was the target of a vicious ad blitz paid for by Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, a 527 advocacy group formed to defeat Kerry's White House bid. The SBVT gathered numerous sworn affidavits by men who purportedly served with Kerry, claiming that the senator lied about his service and that he may have intentionally exposed or even wounded himself so that he could win Purple Hearts. However, closer examinations into the allegations revealed many inconsistencies and downright falsehoods. One accuser, who said Kerry had fabricated his record, admitted later that he had no firsthand knowledge of the actual events.
Again, McCain came to the aid of a fellow veteran, but it was to no avail-Kerry was sunk by this misinformation campaign. Some rightfully credit Kerry's loss to his own failure to contradict the lies sooner, but nonetheless, it was unequivocally wrong. Were these slanderous "Swift Boat" republicans condemned by Congress or Bush for questioning the patriotism of a recognized war hero? Of course not.
Republicans must either "put up or shut up" about political attack ads. Their own "patriotic" party has slandered American heroes, so until they right those wrongs, their outrage is very disingenuous. Political hypocrisy is disgusting, but it is neither new nor rare.
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