New Kerry TV Ad: 'Issues'. Attacks Bush over Swift Vets.

[Dickie Flatt]

New Ad: “George Bush. Denounce the smear. Get back to the issues.” Link has press release (also below), transcript, and video link.

With the Bush-Cheney campaign more intent on using its tired, old smear tactics than addressing the concerns of the American people, the Kerry-Edwards campaign Sunday unveiled a new television ad exposing the recycled Bush-Cheney attack campaign and urging the president to give the American people what they deserve – a discussion about the issues they face every day.

After four years of failed Bush policies, middle-class Americans are struggling. Good paying jobs have disappeared in record numbers. Health care costs have skyrocketed. American soldiers are fighting in Iraq, and America has failed to become as safe as we can be.

Yet even with so much work to do, the president is not talking about solutions. Instead, he and Karl Rove have flipped back to the well-worn smear page of their campaign playbook, last used against John McCain in 2000, and stood silent while their backers attack the service and honor of John Kerry and America’s veterans.

“This Bush backed smear is a case of Déjà vu for those who follow Rove and the president, but it is not what the American people deserve,” said Kerry-Edwards campaign manager Mary Beth Cahill. “John Kerry knows America can do better than lies and smear. That is why he and John Edwards have released a detailed plan to make America stronger at home and respected in the word. Their plan will strengthen the economy for middle-class families, create and keep good paying jobs in America, cut health care costs and make America stronger and more secure. That is what voters want to hear, not lies and smears, and it’s time the president realized that.”

In the 2000 Republican primary, then candidate Bush refused to disavow or condemn hateful and vicious attacks on McCain’s military record. The president is now doing the exact same thing – sitting silent while “Swift Boat Veterans for Bush” smear Kerry’s military service with proven lies.

Despite McCain calling the attacks on Kerry “dishonest and dishonorable,” Bush has yet to denounce them, just like he has yet to articulate his plan and vision for a second term.

[efhmc]

1. Excellent response all the way around. Could we talk about the war that is

happening NOW?

[Nambe]

2. Good move! I hope Kerry drops the negetive and goes positive.

I wish Edwards would have handled the swift boat issue and Kerry would have stayed positive on the issues all along.

[LauraK]

3. Let the party do the in-fighting. Let's have a candidate....

not a WWF hero.

[MrSlayer]

4. Rush says Bush can't condemn the ads.

Because it would be coordination. Even if he wanted to, he cannot. Anyone care to debunk this? I've heard pillhead say this more than once.

[fearnobush]

5. Kerry condemed Move On's AWOL ad. They Pulled it.

Rush Limbo is typical untreated drug addicted liar. He lies so much he can no long live in the truth.

[Dickie Flatt]

6. What a load of crap.

And Rush knows it. Kerry condemned the MoveOn ads; if that was coordination, the RNC or Bush campaign would have filed an FEC complaint immediately. But they didn't, and that should tell you everything you need to know about Rush's BS argument.

And let's not forget the repeated condemnations of that stupid Hitler ad "produced" (ha!) by MoveOn. Was that coordination, when the RNC and Bush campaigns denounced it?

[Myrina]

11. Speaking of the FEC ...

.... what's the latest on the Kerry complaint re: SwiftSmear ?

Thanks in advance ~

[Maeve]

7. He can't distance himself without admitting he's too close?

Seriously, "coordination" means "working with"; "condemning" means "working AGAINST".

Pillhead thinks he's Humpty Dumpty and can make words mean whatever he wants...

[alarcojon]

8. What needs debunking?

This is a semantic game, and a lame one at that. Sure, Bush can't "order" them to stop the ads, in the sense that they are an allegedly independent group. But he could certainly denounce the ads, which would have the effect of drying up support for them overnight, at which point they would most likely be pulled.

To suggest that denouncing something is coordination is right up there with suggesting that Iraq has ties to Al Qaeda because Al Qaeda asked them for help and Iraq refused.

[Democat]

9. Rush says Kerry killed Vince Foster

Can anyone debunk that?

Can anyone prove it isn't true?

[Dickie Flatt]

12. please

everyone knows the coke-lovin' clintons were behind that one. it's a fact.

[Catfight]

10. I hope they run these two new ads back to back! Excellent!

Now, can we please hear from Bush's comrades how wonderful he was in the National Guard? Because I'm still waiting for someone to come out and tell me how Bush? AWOL Bush wants the honorable and respectable John Kerry to talk about serving America, it's time John Kerry keeps standing up for America and ask Bush how he can claim to be a man of God while standing back and allowing HIS people to continue to state OUTRIGHT lies? Bush the Liar. The name Bush will forever be associated with smears and lies, what a disgusting low life Bush's are, all of them. Bush has a bunch of drug addicts, liars, cowards who deferred in Nam, Billionaires, crooks, and undesirables on his side, you're known by the crowd you hang out with, and Bush is one of them.

Boot Bush!