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.
President Bush (news - web sites) salutes a Marine guard as he exits Marine One, while leaving the airport in Waco, Texas Thursday Aug. 26, 2004 after spending a week at his home in Crawford, Texas. Bush opens seven days of nonstop campaigning leading up to the Republican convention in New York, competing for attention in New Mexico with John Kerry (news - web sites)'s running mate, John Edwards (news - web sites).(AP Photo, Jerry Larson)
Excellent. And thanks for the great photo.
Politicians should not be regulating free speech.
The U.S. Olympic Committee has asked the campaign to re-elect President Bush (news - web sites) to pull an ad that refers to the Olympic Games (news - web sites), the International Olympic Committee (news - web sites) said on August 26, 2004. The ad has angered Olympic officials because they feel it hijacks the Olympic brand -- a registered trademark -- even though it does not display the Games logo. A frame from the ad is shown from the Bush campaign Website. (georgewbush.com via Reuters)
They can start cleaning up this mess by deep sixing the McCain-Feingold fiasco.
I agree. That's the most bone-headed thing I've heard of yet. Just when the conservative 527's get off the ground he wants to shut them down. Does Bush want to win?
If McCain has a problem with the political climate this year, he needs to look in the mirror to find the blame. He and Russ Feingold are 100% at fault. I suggest that McCain and Feingold go back and re-think this ridiculous legislation, and come back with a new bill that provides for full disclosure.
John McCain. I wish he was on our side.
That's correct.
And what we also learned is that money does not mean victory.
The ambassador's son spent tens of millions of dollars on advertising and is in a panic over a $500,000 ad.
It's great that liberals think that if they tell us what they think, that we will change our minds. This shoots them in the behind more often than they are competent to admit.
I completely agree with you.
Yeah, this is great, because of course, Bush is President!
Let's censor the public.
John Kerry sucks, but Bush sucks too.
Heck, they're looking to tighten CFR.
Repeal it? LOL! Keep dreaming.
From everything I've heard and read, absolutely nothing will be done about the 527's this year.
Good news, we get to keep seeing the Swiftvet ads...bad news, we have to watch the Dem celebrity bits, LOL.
Bush is trying to go after all of them. The Swifties are a 527. If you didn't hear Bush's own words, I wouldn't worry about it.
But either way, compare the PRo Kerry to the Anti Kerry 527s (I have seen nothing in the Swifties ads that make them Pro Bush and that's OK too) ROI and you see a little ad that could!
Why don't you fill the rest of us in on what exactly Bush has in mind. So far, all I've read is an AP story. You must know more.
This just amazes me.............is free speech dead? I keep hoping that Bush signed reform in the expectation that the courts would kill it. Now I'm hoping that he is doing what he thinks he must so he can appoint judges who will do what he lacked the courage to do, and say that the American people have the right to free political speech no matter how many people may not like it or who's side is getting the worst of it. I just don't get it.
This is the dumbest move that Bush has made. You cannot silence the 527s, you can only get rid of the campaign finance reform, which in itself would not eliminate the 527s. It's too late. Censorship is for dictators of all stripes, not democracies.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.