Posted on 08/05/2004 2:07:18 PM PDT by Dan from Michigan
White House repudiates anti-Kerry ad
2 hours, 5 minutes ago Add Politics - AFP to My Yahoo!
COLUMBUS, United States (AFP) - The White House distanced itself from a commercial by a controversial veterans' group that accuses Democratic presidential hopeful John Kerry (news - web sites) of lying about his service in Vietnam.
"We have been very clear in stating that, you know, we will not and we have not and we will not question Senator Kerry's service in Vietnam," spokesman Scott McClellan said as US President George W. Bush (news - web sites) made a campaign stop here.
The advertisement by Swift Boat Veterans for Truth accuses Kerry of exaggerating his bravery in the Vietnam War, lying about the first of his three Purple Hearts and lying to get his Bronze Star. Kerry was also awarded a Silver Star.
The group also charges that, by testifying against the war when he returned to the United States and alleging that US soldiers had committed wartime atrocities, Kerry betrayed US forces still in Vietnam.
With national security issues atop the agenda for the November 2 election, Kerry has been touting his service as the skipper of a patrol boat known as a "Swift Boat" in an implicit contrast to Bush, who did not go to Vietnam and faces questions about whether he completed his National Guard service.
His former crewmates have aggressively campaigned on his behalf, appearing at his side at political rallies and telling audiences stories about Kerry's exploits during the war.
Senator John McCain, a former Vietnam prisoner of war who challenged Bush for the Republican presidential nomination in 2000, has denounced the group.
And the Kerry campaign has branded the allegations as "garbage," noting that none of the men levelling the accusations served on Kerry's boat.
The group attacking Kerry does not have formal ties to Bush's reelection campaign, and benefits from a loophole in campaign finance restrictions that enables it to spend as much "soft money" as it wants on its political message.
The groups -- the best known of which, MoveOn.org, has fiercely attacked Bush -- are known as "527s," a reference to the tax-code provision that grants them special status.
McClellan coupled his comments about the ad to a broader call for closing the loophole that allows the groups, most of which are hostile to Bush, to operate.
"The president deplores all the unregulated soft money activity," he said, calling the ad "another example of the problem with the unregulated soft money activity that is going on."
"We hope the Kerry campaign will join us in calling for an end to all this kind of activity," said McClellan.
The group pulls no punches in its 60-second spot, which is running in the up-for-grabs states of Ohio, West Virginia, and Wisconsin and features 13 veterans attacking the senator from Massachusetts.
One of the veterans says Kerry's "account of what happened and what actually happened are the difference between night and day."
Another says: "When the chips were down, you could not count on John Kerry."
Maybe I'm mistaken, but that was not a 'repudiation'. It was a distancing, but not condemnation.
LOL. That's hardly a "repudiation." Just a little distancing.
The Bush team has no need to question Kerry's service because his fellow servicemen are shredding it into confetti. Will the Bush team drop that confetti along with balloons at the Repub convention?
None of them, to my knowledge, has claimed to have served on Kerry's "boat." They were, however, all in the same unit, and knew Kerry personally.
This is just to shut the vultures up in the MSM.
I love it.
Look closer, and you will see why the headline is a LIE..
The AFP is a FRENCH News Source....
The FRENCH would like us to think that the White House "repudiates" the anti-Kerry ad..
The White House simply repeated their position that they would NOT "question" Kerry military service...
KNOWING, there are plenty of us that WILL..
F'ing French...... at least they are spreading the charges..
That much we should be grateful for..
Semper Fi
This is just a pathetic attempt by the media to discourage conservatives into thinking that Bush condemned the Swiftvets.
Press Gaggle by Scott McClellan (White House Response to Swift Boat group--CBS LIED AGAIN)
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/08/20040805-5.html ^ | 8-5-04
Posted on 08/05/2004 2:44:11 PM CDT by truthandlife
Q Do you -- does the President repudiate this 527 ad that calls Kerry a liar on Vietnam?
MR. McCLELLAN: The President deplores all the unregulated soft money activity. We have been very clear in stating that, you know, we will not -- and we have not and we will not question Senator Kerry's service in Vietnam. I think that this is another example of the problem with the unregulated soft money activity that is going on. The President thought he put an end -- or the President thought he got rid of this kind of unregulated soft money when he signed the bipartisan campaign finance reforms into law.
And, you know, the President has been on the receiving end of more than $62 million in negative attacks from shadowy groups. The President is calling for an immediate cessation to all the unregulated soft money activity. He believes that it should all be stopped. The unregulated soft money activity that is going on does nothing to elevate the discourse. We hope the Kerry campaign will join us in calling for an end to all the unregulated soft money ads and activity.
Q So the President joins McCain in criticizing this particular ad?
MR. McCLELLAN: We hope the Kerry campaign will join us in calling for an end to all the unregulated soft money ads and activity that are going on. Again, the President has been on the receiving end of more than $62 million in negative attacks from shadowy groups. And the President thought he got rid of this kind of activity when he signed the bipartisan campaign finance reforms into law. This campaign should be about the issues and it should be about the records.
Q Scott, more specifically, though, will the President or the campaign ask this particular group to pull this particular ad off the air?
MR. McCLELLAN: We're calling for a cessation to all the unregulated soft money activity, and we hope that the Kerry campaign will join us.
Q Scott, during the primaries in 2000, or I guess during the Republican Presidential Primaries, an unregulated ad was run against John McCain. At the time, the governor said, "We don't have anything to do with it." Can you give us a sense of the evolution, what's changed from, we don't have anything to do with it, to, let's all stop it.
MR. McCLELLAN: The President supported the bipartisan campaign finance reforms that were passed, and he felt that they improved the system. And that's why he signed them into law. We should have a level playing field for candidates and parties. You have, right now, a problem with these unregulated soft money groups. These were loopholes that we thought were closed when the President signed the campaign finance reforms into law. And so the President believes that all the unregulated soft money activity should stop. We hope the Kerry campaign will join us in calling for an end to all this kind of activity.
The President knows what it's like to be on the receiving end of more than $62 million in negative attacks from these kinds of shadowy groups.
Q Scott, today Senator Kerry was speaking at the Unity Conference, where President Bush will speak tomorrow. And he called America, "a house divided," and said that minorities in America still do not have enough civil rights, and that he would move to fix that. Is there any response from you guys?
MR. McCLELLAN: I think the campaign probably has already responded to some of those comments. I think they're familiar comments that we've heard. The President has a proven record of expanding opportunity for all Americans and has a strong record that he is proud of when it comes to improving the quality of life for all Americans. And we welcome the opportunity to talk about the records and the agendas that the candidates have. And you heard the President recently speak to the National Urban League. And the President is going to continue reaching out to all Americans, including the African American community and Hispanics -- and the Hispanic community, based on his record and his agenda for America. He believes that he will receive strong support from people from all walks of life.
Q Any idea what he is going to talk about in his speech tomorrow?
MR. McCLELLAN: Obviously, the President will talk about his record and his agenda going forward. I don't have any more to preview at this point, but he looks forward to going and speaking there tomorrow and taking some questions when he's there.
Q Scott, have you called previously for an end to these 527 ads?
MR. McCLELLAN: We're calling for an end to all these kind of activities today, and certainly we've spoken out against unregulated soft money.
Q Scott, going back to Kerry at the Unity Convention. Evidently, it seems to be the first time that he's actually criticized the President's handling on the morning of 9/11, when he was at that school in Florida and took those five to seven minutes to finish his reading to those children there. Kerry said how he would have handled it would have been to excuse himself, and said, I have matters to attend to. Is that a fair criticism of the President by Senator Kerry?
MR. McCLELLAN: Like I said, I haven't seen this conference. I would want to take a look at what he said, but it sounds just more like -- it sounds like more of the same kind of political attacks he's been engaging in, rather than trying to defend his record and discuss the issues, and the differences on those issues. But, again, I haven't seen those remarks. You might want to talk to the campaign about it. I'll be glad to take a look at them, as well.
All right, thanks.
The headline actually helps Bush. And like you said it's more free publicity and the Bush admin. can look clean and look like they want to join forces to get rid of the 527's. This stuff will kill Kerry with the military vote obviously. Not that he is racking it up now, but at least the truth is getting some play.
The WH official statement from Scott McClellan is:
SCOTT McCLELLAN: "We hope the Kerry campaign will join us in calling for an end to all the unregulated soft money ads and activity that are going on (hello, moveon.org). Again, the President has been on the receiving end of more than $62 million in negative attacks from shadowy groups (hello, Michael Moore). And the President thought he got rid of this kind of activity when he signed the bipartisan campaign finance reforms into law (hello, George Soros). This campaign should be about the issues and it should be about the records.
Of course it's a crap headline. It's AFP.
A Quiescent position better decribes the White House's response.
BTW - Blame AFP for the title.
A billionaire gets a few people to be on his side. Very unusual.</sarcasm>
"We have been very clear in stating that, you know, we will not and we have not and we will not question Senator Kerry's service in Vietnam," spokesman Scott McClellan said"
The White House won't but hey, we will, it's up to us. The truth shall be told to all.
For a more thorough quote from Scott McClellan, go to "Press Gaggle by Scott McClellan (White House Response to Swift Boat group--CBS LIED AGAIN)" - from that its obvious that the WH put up a good political shield by attacking ALL 527 ads, asking Kerry to join them in condemning ALL 527 ads (yeah, like that's going to happen), and repeatedly reminding everyone of the $62M in 527 ads aimed at the president. But they did not attack the credibility of the SBVs or condemn their ad. It was adroit political maneuvering.
The thing is, the information is OUT there already. The Dems know that, the Repubs know it, too. The damage is done. It's clean up time for the Dems. The smartest thing for the White House to do is to distance itself from it as soon as possible, which they have done. They didn't pay for it. They didn't ask for it. Let's see if the Dems can discredit all the guys on those boats. That's a pretty tall order for anyone. This should be interesting.
Exactly. Repudiation involves doing more than saying, "Hey, don't look at me, I didn't do it." The lede is more accurate ("distanced itself from").
Agent France Press.
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.