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.
Neither can laws against robbery rape and murder, but nonetheless the laws provide a "Chilling effect" on commission of those crimes. Similarly this sort of law has a chilling effect on freedom of speach, unless one is an official of a political party or a member of the media.
If he actually uses the justice department to file suit against the Swiftvets, he will lose some of his natural base voters to the Constitution or Libertarian parties. It looks like Bush is paying a high price to placate McCain.
Or a democrat, or a Swiftie. The law can chill all it wants, but passionate people will not be silenced.
100% agree.
The only way we are going to get rid of CFR is at the grassroots level. It will never be repealed. We should not even hope that would happen. Try waiting for a snowstorm in hell.
Every member of Congress in the House of Representatives and the Senate needs to know if this is not repealed during the next session, each and everyone of them will be voted out of office.
In spite of the gift of our forefathers, Congress did pass a law and it was upheld by SCOTUS. We have only our vote to fight this with. But if we can get this organized at the grassroots level, if we can get enough people to understand what was taken away from them, our vote is more powerful than incumbency.
CFR has been correctly dubbed the Incumbency Protection Act. It is time to use their incumbency against them.
The FEC ruled in favor of the 527s.But it is not the legalities that matter here but the politics. Not likely to find a federal judge who will stop what is motion or force the FEC to do it job UNLESS all parties agree. Will the third parties would agree to stop? Given the huge advantage that the Dims have in this area,and their disadvantage in "regular" areas. can't see them willing to go along. Why do Bush a favor just to squash the Swiftees?
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