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Posted on 08/16/2004 9:18:31 AM PDT by areafiftyone
TV Ad Demands Bush Get Allies to Cease Swift Boat Smear Campaign; MoveOn PAC Ad Rips Attack on Kerry Heroism; Contrasts to Bush Failure to Appear for Duty
To: National Desk, Political Reporter
Contact: Trevor FitzGibbon or Jessica Smith, 202-822-5200, both for MoveOn PAC
WASHINGTON, Aug. 16 /U.S. Newswire/ -- MoveOn PAC today released a new 30-second TV spot attacking George W. Bush for failing to call on one of his major donors -- a long-time associate of Karl Rove and leading Texas Republican funder -- to stop the smear campaign on John Kerry's Vietnam service being run by a group called Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.
The ads, which start running in three states and nationally Tuesday, call on the President to personally denounce the ads for their false and misleading attacks on Senator Kerry -- just as Senator John McCain has called on him to do.
Though the White House and the Bush-Cheney campaign deny involvement in the ads, SBVT is a clear Republican Party front. The group is funded primarily by Robert J. Perry, the largest donor to Republican causes in Texas, a long-time donor to George W. Bush, and a supporter of the political work of Karl Rove and Tom DeLay, among others.
"Karl Rove and the Republicans are up to their usual dirty tricks," said MoveOn PAC Director Eli Pariser. "Once again, they're funding and coordinating an outrageous smear campaign while denying their involvement and refusing to condemn it. John McCain knows what it's like to be on the receiving end of these attacks. Tactics like these should have no place in American politics, and, with one call, George W. Bush could stop them."
Called "Swift Response", the 30-second ad features footage of a young George Bush in National Guard Uniform, his medical form being stamped with his failure to appear, and footage of the young John Kerry in Vietnam.
The ad will run initially for one week in each market where the SBVT ad was shown -- in Toledo and Youngstown, Ohio; in Charlestown, West Virginia; and in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The nearly $200,000 buy will yield 400 Gross Rating Points (GRPs) in all four local markets.
MoveOnPAC will make the ads available to media today at http://cdn.moveonpac.org/content/video/swiftresponse.mov. Beta and VHS tapes are available by contacting Steve Smith at: SSmith@fenton.com or 202-822-5200 x243.
The script of the ad follows:
MOVEON.ORG PAC, 30 SEC TV, "Swift Response"
VIDEO
OPEN ON THE YOUNG GEORGE BUSH IN NATIONAL GUARD UNIFORM.
AUDIO
ANNOUNCER (VO): George Bush used his father to get into the National Guard, and...
VIDEO
CUT TO BUSH'S NATIONAL GUARD MEDICAL FORM BEING STAMPED WITH "FAILURE TO APPEAR".
AUDIO
ANNOUNCER (VO): ...when the chips were down, went missing.
VIDEO
CUT TO SHOT OF TV SHOWING "SWIFT BOAT" SPOT, THEN WORDS APPEAR ACROSS SCREEN, "FALSE ADVERTISING".
AUDIO
ANNOUNCER (VO): Now, he's allowing false advertising that attacks John Kerry...
VIDEO
CUT TO FOOTAGE OF A YOUNG JOHN KERRY IN VIETNAM.
AUDIO
ANNOUNCER (VO): ...a man who asked to go to Viet Nam and who served with dignity and heroism.
VIDEO
CUT TO HALF SCREEN PICTURE OF JOHN McCAIN. HIS WORDS APPEAR ON SCREEN NEXT TO HIS PICTURE.
AUDIO
ANNOUNCER (VO): Here's what a true Republican war hero has to say about the anti-Kerry ad: "I think the ad is dishonest and dishonorable...I think the Bush campaign should specifically condemn the ad."
VIDEO
CUT TO SHOT OF BUSH AND CLOSING DISCLAIMER COPY.
AUDIO
ANNOUNCER (VO): George Bush: Take that ad off the air. MoveOn PAC is responsible for the content of this advertisement.
------
JUST THE FACTS: SBVT SWIFT BOAT ADS AND THE ROVE SMEAR MACHINE
FACT: "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth" is a front organization for Karl Rove and the Republican party. SBVT is funded primarily by Robert J. Perry, a multimillionaire Texas businessman and the state's leading donor to Republican candidates and causes. Campaign documents and his representatives confirm that Perry has given more money to campaigns and political organizations in the last four years than any other Texan, over $5 million to scores of political candidates, including $20,000 to Bush's two campaigns for governor in the 1990s.
FACT: SWVT in its July 15 IRS filing reports raising $158,000 in total, of which Perry donated $100,000.
FACT: Media company behind Swift Boat ads produced anti-McCain ads in 2000. Spaeth Communications, listed as SBVT's media contact, has long and deep Republican ties. In 2000, Spaeth participated in producing ads for 'Republicans for Clean Air' which falsely attacked the environmental record of Sen. John McCain in California, New York and Ohio. The funder of that group turned out to be Sam Wyly -- another big Bush contributor and beneficiary of Bush administration decisions in Texas -- and his brother, Charles, another Bush "Pioneer" contributor."
FACT: The charges in the ad are directly contradicted by the men who were on Kerry's boat. The former Army lieutenant whom Kerry plucked from the water, Jim Rassman, backs Kerry's account. In an August 10 opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal, Rassmann, a Republican, wrote that the ad was "launched by people without decency" who are "lying" and "should hang their heads in shame."
Some of those making the charges now are directly contradicting their own past public statements, and none of the veterans featured in the advertisements served on the river patrol boats Kerry commanded during Vietnam.
FACT: McCain Urges Bush: "Condemn this ad" ... Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) has called the ad campaign "dishonest and dishonorable" and urged George Bush to "specifically condemn" the ad. Regrettably, George Bush has refused to do so. Said McCain: "I can't believe the president would pull such a cheap stunt.... It was the same kind of deal that was pulled on me." 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." So do we.
FACT: George W. Bush Has Condemned Such Smear Tactics in the Past...In 1992, George W. Bush called on Republicans to denounce a similar smear campaign against Bill Clinton. According to the 7/14/92 Washington Post, George W. Bush wrote a letter in 1992 on behalf of his father's presidential campaign to 85,697 campaign contributors condemning an operation attempting to smear Bill Clinton and encouraging them not to contribute to the effort.
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/© 2004 U.S. Newswire 202-347-2770/
Rush is right. I keep hearing about this all over the place.
Of course moveon.org is a nuetral, non-partisan group which would NEVER say anything untoward about our President Bush. They are a fairminded group who want ONLY the truth to come out about both contenders to the Whitehouse. Of Course!!! slimes!!!
GO SWIFTBOART VETERANS!! We're behind you 100%.
I would guess that The RATS have already sent the likes of Jack Palladino and Terry Lensner to try and dig up some dirt on John O'Neil and his comrades!That's right out of"The Klintoon Playbook"!!!!
Dubya should ask John O'Neill to sit with him at the RNC.
Bush has already called on *all* 527s to cease advertising ...
Click the logo to donate to Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.
Here's another ironic twist:
@ the Hanoi Hilton, GI's were tortured into endorsing JFKerry's infamous GIs-are-war-criminals screed before the US senate.
McCain might have been confronted with this very demand in his prison.
Yeah,but"The Barf Alerts"are FUN!!!!!!!!!!!
Call his office and ask him if he feels proud to being used by MOVE-ON .org
Click the logo to donate to Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.
I've heard mclame is raking in a good amount of 527 money for his campaign. He's a tv camera hound, says anything to get his mug on the screen.
Well, you know how it is with these folks - they support the troops except when they don't.
I just sent the swifties another check : )
Too funny!!! Did McCain read the legislation he created?
MoveOn.org should visit ShoveIt.org.
Guess the Dems have forgotten about that pesky little First Amendment thing.
I know. My comment was a paraphrase on that fact...
All this will do is create more interest in the book. Nice job MoveOn, thanks for donating the $$ to the Swifties PR!
The contrast was amazing. The more they rave and bellyache, the more legs this thing gets...as well it should.
O'Neill handed Kerry's back side to him on a platter in 1971...and he's doing it again now.
The Dems are up against principled men of charcter and integrity...wo know what honor and commitment mean, and who have faced death before without flinching.
They are not going to be impressed or detered by all of this whining, legaleze, blustering and threats. They are going to keep honing in on the truth and the black pit of lies and fruad that the Kerry campaign is trying to use to vault itself in to the WHite House and the NCA. Not on these guys watch.
They are patriots.
McCain could clear this up by calling a press conference, and admitting he spoke to soon, or used words that were too harsh. "I spoke out because I think all 527 activity leads to un-healthy political campaigns. But, I had, and have, no reason to concluse that SBVFT ad is 'dishonest.' I should not have called the ad 'dishonest.' It may be fully truthful. It is up to the press to investigate the allegations as it sees fit. Thank you. No questions."
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