Today Show Uses 9/11 Relatives to Flog Bush Campaign over Use of WTC Images

The Today Show

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Very well put.

[maggief]

But that's not the way one 9/11 victim's wife sees it. "It's a bad, bad move," Monica Gabrielle told Salon.

"It's unconscionable that any political candidate or person would use Ground Zero, the hallowed ground of 3,000 dead, including my husband. It's unspeakable and outrageous that President Bush would choose to use it in his re-election campaign," said Gabrielle, whose husband Richard, died in the World Trade Center. What's especially galling to Gabrielle -- and other 9/11 victims' families have levied similarly blunt criticisms against the president -- is that Bush "did nothing to prevent [9/11], as far as we know," and is now trying to avoid testifying before the 9/11 commission.

"The fact that he won't give a half hour to speak to the deaths of 3,000 people, let me take another Zoloft. You can just tell the outrage. If they have any sense of decency, they'll pull those ads, and if nothing else, it's also a very good indication of the fiber of these people," she said. (For the record, the White House wants to limit Bush's interview with the commission to one hour and only wants two people to question him. The commission has rejected the terms.)

Gabrielle isn't registered in any political party, although she used to get into political debates with Richard, who was a Democrat. "To annoy him, I would say I was a Republican," she said. But now, it's no joke -- 9/11 politicized her, she says. "Now its 'out the door in 2004.' It's just unconscionable what they're getting away with," she said of the Bush administration.

This is the opinion of one victim of 9/11. As others see how the 9/11 attacks are being used in the Bush-Cheney ad blitz, we'll likely hear more.

-- Geraldine Sealey

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2004/03/03/sept11ads/

[savedbygrace]

How's this for a formulation: "President Bush has only agreed to come before the 9/11 Commission for one hour. That's 2 seconds for every life that was lost."

Sounds like this person had a public school education. There are 3,600 seconds in an hour.

[zook]

Someone mentioned yesterday that James Carville's fingerprints are all over this. Might also have been McCauluff. They had this planned for weeks. Find some diehard Dems among the victims' families and drill them in what to say. I have to say, I don't think I've ever seen a more hate-filled bunch of people.

[governsleastgovernsbest]

"Nice try. What do we have here a stealth "rat"?"

Are you really so quick to impugn a fellow FReeper?

Please go back and read some of the dozens of threads I've posted on liberal bias at The Today Show, beginning with the thread I posted yesterday on this same issue, and let me know if you think I'm a "stealth rat," as you so elegantly put it. Here's the link:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1090456/posts

[Publius6961]

Personally, I think it's time for some 911 images.

I wish I had a way to post as many as I have.
Can anyone else help?
If those tasteful images in the commercial drove a few nutcases bonkers, what will dozens or real horrific images do to them? Time for a Freeper 911 tribute!

[anniegetyourgun]

Next up, family members who have lost loved ones in Iraq/Afghanistan....

[kjam22]

It is time for 9-11 images, and then images of fallen Taliban leaders, and the prisoners at Gitmo. The left can complain all they want, but it's a long time until November. Their complaints will long forgotten.

[Publius6961]

I think, though, that the media may actually be overplaying this to the point that people are going to get impatient with these 9/11 families and their "my relative was killed, so I get to control the President's campaign" attitude.

Thank you for bringing me back to reality here. Why am I even wasting my time on this thread?

Tailer trash. Professional victims, stuffing their pockets in memory of their "loved ones".

I am going to do something more useful and rewarding now. I'm gonna go de-lint my socks...

[maggief]

Check out the memebers under "About the FSC".

http://www.911independentcommission.org/index.html

[Publius6961]

No, thank you.
But do your thing. Some people may actually buy it.

[Dane]

I saw the interviews this morning. Kristen was the Bush hating one. It was interesting when Patricia, the lady who basically said that before 9/11 all the terrorist attacks were not given a proper response and that Bush did give a good response to 9/11, spoke they had an instant camera angle with Kristen giving Patricia, the Hillary scowl look, and then the camera went straight back to Patrica.

KUdos to Patricia for not giving into the double teaming of Mindy and Kristen>

Also Katie could be the "moderator" since she had Kristen do all her Bush vitriol dirty work for her.

[untwist]

Don't worry. The Today Show is very fair. Why I'll bet they're just now booking for their next show family members of those who were killed at the Pentagon on 9/11, starting with Solicitor General Ted Olsen, whose wife Barbara was murdered. Why I'm sure they'll get the perspective of all those military people who lost loved ones on that horrible day. NBC of course is fair and honest and they know that the military folks at the Pentagon also need to express their views on President Bush's use of 9/11 images and his management of this crisis. Don't you worry, you can count on Katie! sarcasm off!

[maryz]

Do you happen to recall the names of the guests? One poster on another thread googled the names of 9/11 survivors who were against Bush's ads and found the same names coming up again and again when the mainstream media needed quotes.

[Piranha]

To an extent Katie Couric has to report the news that she is given. Where are the families of 9/11 victims who reject the Bush-haters among them? Have they made themselves available?

Even if you agree (as I do) that the families have no right to monopolize commemoration of 9/11, they do present a "hot" image that all news media gravitate to.

If we hear that family members that disagree were refused airtime, I would be outraged.

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Sorry I missed the names. The one really hating on W was blond, probably about 40, fairly nice looking.

[tuckrdout]

Hey! Listen, I suspected that "Kristen Breitwieser" the vehement Bush hating blonde whose "husband Ron, died" on 9-11; was a plant. And I have been trying to find her husband's name of the lists of victims:

HE IS NOT THERE!!!

If anyone can find it, please correct me, but if it isn't there, I think NBC and the TODAY SHOW need to be called on this lie!

Maybe her husband had a different last name? She seemed like a big phoney to me. Can anyone find any info on her FROM 2001?

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Where are the families of 9/11 victims who reject the Bush-haters among them?

In fairness, one of the guests did support President Bush, supported his "leadership," and said she found the ads in good taste.

[Piranha]

If President Bush was in a school room having milk and cookies on 9/11, I wonder what Bill Clinton was up to on the days the WTC was first attacked in 1993, when the US embassies in Africa were attacked, when the Khobar towers were attacked and when the USS Cole was attacked?

This is a great talking point! Well put! It deserves to be posted somewhere else where it can have greater visibility.

[Wolverine]

Let's see them again...

 

Tomorrow, the first Bush-Cheney television ads will begin running all over the country. 

Unlike the Kerry campaign's first ads last September, which included an attack on the President, our first ads are all positive, focusing on President Bush's steady leadership in times of change.

As a valued member of the President's team, you are receiving a special preview of these first three television ads.

To view the ads, please go here:

Bush-Cheney '04 Announces First Television Ads

http://www.GeorgeWBush.com/TVAds/

Thank you for your continued support.  We're counting on you to help re-elect President Bush this November.

Sincerely,

Ken Mehlman
Campaign Manager
Bush-Cheney '04