McCain condemns anti-Kerry ads
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| Thu, 08-05-2004 - 12:00pm |
McCain condemns anti-Kerry ads, calls on White House to follow suit
-RON FOURNIER, AP Political Writer
Thursday, August 5, 2004
(08-05) 07:20 PDT WASHINGTON (AP) --
Republican Sen. John McCain, a former prisoner of war in Vietnam, called an ad criticizing John Kerry's military service "dishonest and dishonorable" and urged the White House on Thursday to condemn it as well.
"It was the same kind of deal that was pulled on me," McCain said in an interview with The Associated Press, referring to his bitter Republican primary fight with President Bush.
The 60-second ad features Vietnam veterans who accuse the Democratic presidential nominee of lying about his decorated Vietnam War record and betraying his fellow veterans by later opposing the conflict.
"When the chips were down, you could not count on John Kerry," one of the veterans, Larry Thurlow, says in the ad.
The ad, scheduled to air in a few markets in Ohio, West Virginia and Wisconsin, was produced by Stevens, Reed, Curcio and Potham, the same team that produced McCain's ads in 2000.
"I wish they hadn't done it," McCain said of his former advisers. "I don't know if they knew all the facts."
Asked if the White House knew about the ad or helped find financing for it, McCain said, "I hope not, but I don't know. But I think the Bush campaign should specifically condemn the ad."
Later, McCain said the Bush campaign has denied any involvement and added, "I can't believe the president would pull such a cheap stunt."
The White House did not immediately address McCain's call that they repudiate the spot.
Steve Schmidt, a spokesman for the Bush-Cheney campaign, said Kerry's record and statements on the war on terrorism -- not his service in Vietnam -- are fair game. "The Bush campaign never has and will never question John Kerry's service in Vietnam," he said.
In 2000, Bush's supporters sponsored a rumor campaign against McCain in the South Carolina primary, helping Bush win the primary and the nomination. McCain's supporters have never forgiven the Bush team.
McCain said that's all in the past to him, but he's speaking out against the anti-Kerry ad because he believes it's bad for the political system. "It reopens all the old wounds of the Vietnam War, which I spent the last 35 years trying to heal," he said.
"I deplore this kind of politics. I think the ad is dishonest and dishonorable. As it is, none of these individuals served on the boat (Kerry) commanded. Many of his crew have testified to his courage under fire. I think John Kerry served honorably in Vietnam. I think George Bush served honorably in the Texas Air National Guard during the Vietnam War."
McCain himself spent more than five years in a Vietnam prisoner of war camp. A bona fide war hero, McCain, like Kerry, used his war record as the foundation of his presidential campaign.
The Kerry campaign has denounced the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, saying none of the men in the ad served on the boat that Kerry commanded. The leader of the group, retired Adm. Roy Hoffmann, said none of the 13 veterans in the commercial served on Kerry's boat but rather were in other swiftboats within 50 yards of Kerry's.
Jim Rassmann, an Army veteran who was saved by Kerry, said there were only six crewmates who served with Kerry on his boat. Five support his candidacy and one is deceased.
Edited 8/5/2004 12:03 pm ET ET by happy2beamom2001

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You know, you could dig into just about anyone's past and find people who liked them and some who disliked them. You could dig into anyone's past and find mistakes and misjudgements made in youth that they would not do in middle age.
I wonder how a book written about Bush would read covering that same time period? I'm sure it would be filled with anecdotes of drinking and partying and spoiled frat boy antics (not to mention getting Ds at schools his Dad undoubtedly pulled strings to get him into) and I'm sure that you could find people that hated GW Bush's guts. I have read that he was a particularly belligerant drunk and extremely spoiled and ignorant. If people can dismiss Bush's past so easily (I mean after all, the guy found God ;o) how is it that these same people can rant and rave and sputter and point fingers at Kerry's youth saying he is unfit for the presidency?
The double standard is sickening.
Quit running your mouths and start running the country!!
If people can dismiss Bush's past so easily (I mean after all, the guy found God ;o) how is it that these same people can rant and rave and sputter and point fingers at Kerry's youth saying he is unfit for the presidency?
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Kerry's running for President and CnC and his time in the war should be spoken of (But only the lowest of the low, slimiest of the SLIME sit there and rank his wounds on some kind of sick merit scale, forgetting he left a pampered life and VOLUNTEERED!)
Well, Bush isn't running on his record of snorting coke, drinking lots of booze and driving his car of the road and being detained.
Likewise, no one is coming out claiming that he snorted coke dishonorably, drank dishonestly or saying he didn't do a good job driving his car off the road.
But hey, who wants to talk about Bush's past life? Hell, who wants to even talk about Bush's record from 2001 - Present?
Van Odell served on the Number 23 (If I remember correctly) boat and was involved in the same incident where Kerry pulled Rassman from the water. He said the circumstances surrounding the incident were different than both Kerry and Rassman state, but as I was going out the door, did not have time to hear the elaboration on this topic, which would interest me to a degree.
DG, disappointing you'd buy into this as a seemingly OBJECTIVE Indy voter.
But hey, I'm all for it. This is just the kind of campaign I hoped would be run this time last year, Bush started it, the VERY FEW Anti-Kerry groups will continue it and the American people will be the judge of it.
And given the latest FOX NEWS polls on Bush's approval and the satisfaction level of the country, it's not surprising.
Edited 8/6/2004 11:14 am ET ET by go_left
Also, don't be quick to condemn the use of these style ads, when Moveon and their ilk start their campaigns in full force after the GOP convention you're going to see a lot of slime.
Sauce for the goose. The main difference in their slime, is you won't hear a candidates voice approving it like you've been hearing since March.
One day, they'll stop running their mouths and try running the country.
Still embracing the slime?
Edited 8/6/2004 12:26 pm ET ET by go_left
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