Posted on 08/26/2004 8:06:56 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
LAS CRUCES, N.M. - President Bush (news - web sites) wants to work with Republican Sen. John McCain (news, bio, voting record) to pursue court action against political ads by "shadowy" outside groups, the White House said Thursday amid growing pressure on the president to denounce attacks on John Kerry (news - web sites)'s war record.
"The president said if the court action doesn't work, that he would be willing to pursue legislative action with Sen. McCain on that," Bush spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to New Mexico.
McCain, R-Ariz., has called on Bush to condemn the anti-Kerry ads, even as he is actively supporting Bush's re-election. McCain told The New York Times that he plans to personally "express my displeasure" to the president, the paper reported Thursday.
Bush called McCain from Air Force One and the two had a brief discussion about the matter, McClellan said.
The debate over Democratic nominee John Kerry's service in Vietnam has dominated the presidential race in recent weeks after the group Swift Boat Veterans for Truth aired ads questioning Kerry's decorated record.
Which would probably be stayed pending an appeal. Theoretically, the court system could quickly shut them down, I agree. But it's rare when our courts move quickly.
So read it directly from the White House website.
Q McCain says he's fed up with these Swift Boat ads. Is the President willing to go any further than what he said the other day?
MR. McCLELLAN: Actually, thank you for bringing that up. The President, also, on board Air Force One, called Senator McCain this morning. And the President said he wanted to work together to pursue court action to shut down all the ads and activity by these shadowy 527 groups. And the President said if the court action doesn't work, then he would be willing to pursue legislative action and work with Senator McCain on that.
Q Which groups does he want to shut down?
MR. McCLELLAN: It's all the unregulated soft money activity by these 527 groups. The President thought we got rid of all of this kind of shadowy activity when he signed the campaign finance reforms into law. As you're aware, there was FEC action that has been pursued by Senator McCain, that has been pursued by us, as well. And the FEC has not acted on it. And so the President reached out to Senator McCain to say, let's work together and pursue court action to shut down all of this activity by these shadowy groups.
Q That includes the Swift Boats --
Q -- specific condemnation of the Swift Boat.
Q -- Swift Boat ones. He said, he's happy that -- he condemns all 527s --
MR. McCLELLAN: The President condemns all the ads and activity by these shadowy groups. This is unregulated soft money activity that the President thought we got rid of when he signed the campaign finance reforms into law. Senator McCain said that he thought it was a good idea for the two of them to work together to shut down this kind of activity.
Q So this includes the Swift Boat, right? You want to shut down -- Bush wants to shut down, through legal action --
MR. McCLELLAN: All, all the ads and activity by the shadowy groups. That would include everything that these shadowy groups are involved in.
Q You don't want to say "Swift Boat," is that the --
MR. McCLELLAN: I think I answered it by saying, all of the ads and activity.
Q And that would include the Swift Boat, yes?
MR. McCLELLAN: That includes everything. That includes -- I don't know how I can be more clear than that, Adam.
Q Are the Swift Boats a shadowy group?
Q But McCain said beyond that -- he called the President to condemn those specific ads. Will he condemn those --
MR. McCLELLAN: The President has condemned every ad and all the activity by these 527 groups.
Q How does he feel about what they're saying?
MR. McCLELLAN: I don't think I can be more clear, nor can the President. The President wants Senator Kerry to join us in calling for a stop to all of the ads and activity by these shadowy groups. The President has condemned all of this activity by these shadowy groups.
Q What does he mean by court action?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, pursue -- pursuing court action, working with -- and pursuing court action to shut down these -- shut down this activity by these 527 groups that are funded with unregulated soft money. This is what we thought we got rid of when the President signed the campaign finance reforms into law. And so --
Q So who files -- who files the lawsuit, then?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, and I'll try to get you a little bit more information on this, but there's -- there have been previous complaints filed against the FEC. The FEC had an opportunity to act with, I think it's within a 100-day -- 120-day period. They did not act. And so that allows those who had filed those complaints to pursue action against the FEC. I know Senator McCain had filed complaints with the FEC; we had, as well. And so the President looks forward to working with Senator McCain to pursue court action to shut down all of this activity by these shadowy groups.
Q So is the Justice Department going to get involved in this?
Q He would be the one who be going to the --
MR. McCLELLAN: He called them this morning, and we'll provide you more detail as we move forward and work together, through court action, to shut these groups down.
Q So you are asking Justice to get involved, then?
MR. McCLELLAN: Again, we'll get you more details as we move forward together. But we want to pursue court action.
Q How long was the phone call?
MR. McCLELLAN: I'm sorry?
Q How long was the phone call?
MR. McCLELLAN: I will try to get you the length. It was brief. And Senator McCain said he looked forward to seeing him soon. We certainly appreciate Senator McCain's strong support for the President, and look forward to hearing his remarks next week at the convention, as well.
Q -- the charge --
MR. McCLELLAN: Yes.
Q Can you tell me what the legal basis would be for taking court action?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, yes, that's why I said, if you go back, you might want to look at some of this. I'll try and get you more details on the ground. But because of the complaints -- the complaints have been pursued with the FEC, and there's a window of opportunity for the FEC to pursue action. They failed to pursue that action then. You can pursue court action following that if they don't act within that time period.
Q Okay.
MR. McCLELLAN: Okay, thank you.
Q Is it a lawsuit?
MR. McCLELLAN: Yes. Yes, it would be.
Q But none of it would happen until after the election, correct? I mean, the FEC --
MR. McCLELLAN: There would be a lawsuit.
Q But the FEC can't act on this stuff until after the election.
MR. McCLELLAN: No, there have been complaints previously filed with the FEC that they did not act on to shut -- to shut down this activity.
We've got to land. Thank you.
* * * * *
MR. McCLELLAN: We would be asking the court to force the FEC to shut down this activity.
Q Force the FEC?
MR. McCLELLAN: Yes. It would be asking the courts to -- yes, since the FEC failed to act, we would now be asking the courts to force the FEC to act to shut down these -- shut down all this activity.
Q It's not directly -- so the case is not directly against the 527s, it's against the FEC.
MR. McCLELLAN: It's going to the courts to ask them to force the FEC to shut down all this activity.
I'm so mad I could just spit.
Sounds simliar to the strategy of signing the CFR act in the first place on the theory that The Courts would strike it down. That really worked well.
The First Amendment will poke through the cracks. It always does. Unless a president Kerry can pack the courts.
CFR went to the SC and it was upheld.
That law is a complete abomination, and Bush signed it, and now wants to "strengthen" it.
But first he's called for legal action to force the FEC to shut down the "shadowy" 527s. Of course how shadowy can a group be that records the names, profession and employers of all it's contributors, and furnishs that information to the government where anyone can get it?
In the case of the 527s we have full disclosure, but that apparently is not enough for the proffesional politicians of both parities, and the ones who can't seem to decide which party is theirs.
Kerry is French Toast!
Yea, stategery which might, *might*, help win this election, but which results in the next President, which could be Hillary or someone almost as heinous, having the power to silence it's critics. Sort of like the Nazis using the Wiemar era gun laws to disarm the Jews.
It's a violation of the Constitution, I don't like it, and it's just plain dumb.
I thought the Supreme Court only ruled that it was NOT going to give an immediate opinion (voiding the law, or giving a stay of execution of its provisions) on the whole CFR bill, and that it deferred the actual (complete review) of constitutionality until early October.
True?
And that's why Bush and McCain are going to go to court to force them to act now.
With these "shadowy" 527s, you do know where the money comes from, yet the professional pols want them shut down. The 527 have to report that information. Whey do you think the Swifties require your name, and that of your employer before taking your donation?
Congress shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech"
It's worked fine for a couple of hundred years.
I've had some time to think about it and it looks like more Bush and Rove strategery and it might just work.
The banner looks fine.
Bush tells the Truth and Kerry?????
ROTFLMAO. The law is anything but clear, have you looked at the law itself? Or read the Supreme Court opinion, which is even less clear? The lawsuit will be to force the FEC to use a different "interpreation" of the law than they are currently using. It's more a matter of how the law is being applied than the law itself.
Nothing will be resolved before the election. That is the fatal flaw in the law itself. It cannot be enforced in a timely manner.
Bush's action will demonstrate this.
I remember when Nixon imposed wage and price controls. No one has ever suggested it since. I hated Nixon for it, but it was effective, even though counterintuitive.
"If President Bush was really against the Swifties, he would have immediately come out and called for them to stop the ads.
He can't, because that is illegal."
I don't think you are correct on this point. Chair of FEC was on Brit Hume's show last week and he asked him this question. While his answer was not definitive, he basically said this would not be "coordination".
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