Bush Campaign Defends Ads With 9/11 Images (DEMOCRATS - Let's forget that 9/11 happened.)

Mar 4, 8:18 AM (ET) | AP Wire

[jerod]

Bush Campaign Defends Ads With 9/11 Images

NEW YORK (AP) - President Bush's re-election campaign on Thursday defended commercials using images from the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, including wreckage of the World Trade Center, as appropriate for an election about public policy and the war on terror.

Some families of the victims of the attacks are angry with Bush for airing the spots, which they called in poor taste and for the president's political gain.

"With all due respect, I just completely disagree, and I believe the vast majority of the American people will as well," Karen Hughes, a Bush campaign adviser, told "The Early Show" on CBS. "September 11th was not just a distant tragedy. It's a defining event for the future of our country. ... Obviously, all of us mourn and grieve for the victims of that terrible day, but September 11 fundamentally changed our public policy in many important ways, and I think it's vital that the next president recognize that."

The first three ads, unveiled Wednesday at campaign headquarters in suburban Washington, will run on broadcast channels in about 80 markets in 18 states, most of which are expected to be critical to the election, and nationwide on select cable networks.

"It's a slap in the face of the murders of 3,000 people," Monica Gabrielle, whose husband died in the twin towers, told the New York Daily News for its Thursday editions. "It is unconscionable."

Two of the spots show the destruction at the World Trade Center and include an American flag flying amid the debris. They also feature images of firefighters working through the wreckage.

"It's as sick as people who stole things out of the place," said Firefighter Tommy Fee of Queens Rescue Squad 270. "The image of firefighters at ground zero should not be used for this stuff, for politics."

The ads do not mention Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, focusing instead on improving Bush's image after criticism by Democrats in recent months.

"I would be less offended if he showed a picture of himself in front of the Statue of Liberty," said Tom Roger, whose daughter perished on American Airlines Flight 11. "But to show the horror of 9/11 in the background, that's just some advertising agency's attempt to grab people by the throat."

Hughes said the ads are a tasteful reminder of what the country has been through the last three years.

"I can understand why some Democrats might not want the American people to remember the great leadership and strength the president and first lady Laura Bush brought to our country in the aftermath of that," she said

[jerod]

The DemocRATS would like to forget that 9/11 ever happened.

[The South Texan]

"The DemocRATS would like to forget that 9/11 ever happened."

The DemocRATS have forgeten that 9/11 ever happened.

[raptor29]

Simple case of the Rats raising a stink because they know 9/11 still resonates with most Americans, and that Bush handled the situation about as well as anyone could have hoped for. Screw the Rats.

[BenLurkin]

What;s to defend?

Bush is winning the war on terror.

Is that of no significance to the democrat party?

Or is that what is bothering them?

[FlipWilson]

To most of us 9/11 was a tragedy because it cost 3,000 innocent people their lives. To the left 9/11 was a tragedy because George W. Bush was in office when it happened and not a Democrat.

[Independent520]

The democrat party has become the party for those who have forgotten 911


http://jednet207.tripod.com/PoliticalNewsGroups-PC.html

[UB355]

"The image of firefighters at ground zero should not be used for this stuff, for politics."

It was however just fine to use the firefighters in yellow shirts to support John Kerry at his campaign rallies.

[No Blue States]

"George W. Bush was in office when it happened and not a Democrat."

Thank goodness we will never have to know how they wouldnt have handled Sept 11th.

[KellyAdmirer]

If these little babies are super-sensitive about these ads, too bad, the ones coming down the road will really drive them bananas. A lot of us suffered personally in various ways large and small from 9/11, they're entitled to their opinions but they are no more valid than anyone else's.

As for Democrats and 9/11, to them, it's all Bush's fault. How? Well, it just is, 'cuz everything bad in the world is.

[daler]

Better get used to it.

Every ad the Bush campaign runs will be criticized and scrutinized in the media, followed by a reminder that Dubya has a "100 million dollar war chest."

Every charge Kerry makes, no matter how absurd, will get front page press, and any response by Bush will be labeled "negative campaigning."

It's been the Dem (and media, not that there's a difference) formula for a decade.

[Owen]

Where is Bush's quick reaction force researching the political backgrounds of these people quoted? They lost a family member in the attacks on 9/11. That may be only half the story. They may also have worked on Hillary's Senate campaign.

[BenLurkin]

Bush has made America safer: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1090332/posts?page=2#2

[kitkat]

Why is it wrong to show pictures of 9/11 but NOT wrong to show pictures of the Holocaust? In both cases, it's a reminder of the carnage of war.

[Phlap]

The democrats want to remember 11/07/00 and forget about 09/11/01. Unfortunatly for them, most Americans aren't democrats.

[Jeff Chandler]

Kerry doesn't have to spend a dime attacking these ads, he has the rat media to do that for him.

[per loin]

I'm about fed up with these "victims" of 9/11 using their "victim" status to amplify their political voices.

[Independent520]

Wasn't the "Bush knew" campaign using 911 for politics?

http://jednet207.tripod.com/PoliticalNewsGroups-PC.html

[1Old Pro]

Tep, the Dims want America to forget 9/11. I will never forget and I want to be reminded of the tragedy so that America stays vigilant in the battle against terrorism.

[Qwinn]

Okay, here's what -I- gotta ask...

"I would be less offended if he showed a picture of himself in front of the Statue of Liberty,"

So he's saying that would still be offensive, just not as much? On what grounds would that even be slightly offensive?

Qwinn

[VRW Conspirator]

Some families of the victims of the attacks are angry with Bush for airing the spots, which they called in poor taste and for the president's political gain.

Here is the slant, folks. The statement above begs the question: are there families of the victims who are not angry and families who are pleased with the ads?

The unidentified (indeed) AP writer wants every reader to believe that most family members of victims are angry.

[FranApple]

If Katie Couric is so upset now that the TV ads to re-elect President Bush have started she needs to get medicated. The ratings for The Today Show will steadily decline because America will tire of her whining! There are some great pics on the GW website.

Pictures of GW Bush

[The G Man]

You said it. It's about as slanted a hit piece as you'll see. How did they "find" these family members? Did they find no family members whatsoever who found it appropriate?

[lesko]

Only a decade? They have been pulling this crap much longer than that.

[elfman2]

"Kerry doesn't have to spend a dime attacking these ads, he has the rat media to do that for him."

And just as long as we maintain our cool and stick to these ads, the media attacks will be about as successful as their attacks on “Passion of the Christ”. Free publicity.

[Iron Eagle]

I personally will not be offended, and I am sure most Freepers won't either. Of course, that is not the test. Those commercials are not for us, they are meant to help Bush in key states with those who are on the fence, or those who are undecided. Thus, no sense arguing among ourselves about why the use of those images is okay.

The focus on this debate MUST be on whether the commercials will help with undecided voters. People who give less than 7 minutes thought or attention each week, according to research data, to any political question or story. These are people whose opinions are shaped by news coverage, sound bites, and the "sense" of news created by media. Bush's people get paid to know this stuff.

I have to admit, I am a bit surprised that they would choose some of those images to use in those markets, paticularly when they HAD to know that the media would find/create backlash to the commercials, thus stealing the story.

Having said all that, I would love to see one of the commercials to see how they are used.

[Ramius]

There is no copyright that the President owns on those images. The democrats are free to use those images too, if they think they are so effective.

But they won't use them, will they? Funny, that.

[facedown]

"It's a slap in the face of the murders of 3,000 people," Monica Gabrielle, whose husband died in the twin towers, told the New York Daily News for its Thursday editions. "It is unconscionable."

Monica Gabrielle

Ellen Mariani

The 9/11 Truth Movement - Part I

Philip J. Berg

The ususal suspects.

[BBT]

"As for Democrats and 9/11, to them, it's all Bush's fault. How? Well, it just is, 'cuz everything bad in the world is."

These Sore Losers have taken everything the administration has done or said since election day and twisted and turned it to being "bad." It is out of their hate and greed for power. If he breathes in, they spin it bad; if he breathes out, they spin it bad.

The media supports this and whips the uninformed masses into a frenzy of emotion. Their attempts are so blatant and obvious now, it's amazing to me how they are still so successful.

[LucyJo]

There were obviously people of different races, creeds, cultural and political persuasions, etc. who perished on 9/11/01. It isn't surprising that some who probably hated the president before 9/11 lost friends and loved ones in the horrific events of that tragic day, and it isn't surprising that they would join in helping their fellow political travelers by using their part in the tragedy to try to defeat who and what they hated in the first place.

The news media will focus on the ones who are supposedly offended at the mention of 9/11 by the Bush administration, of course, and show only a few victims who support the president, in an effort to try and prove their "balanced" reporting. But, I agree with Karen Hughes...I think the vast majority of Americans will recognize this as a tasteful reminder of what we've all come through together, and can continue to achieve together with President Bush's leadership. I've seen the ads and I think they are tastefully done with a wonderful uplifting, positive feel to them...very effective, which is what will be most offensive to the not-so-honorable opposition, I think.

[optimistically_conservative]

They should combine the 9/11 picks with pics of the Cole in 2000, embassies in Africa in 1998, Saudi Barracks in 1996, Saudi NG bombing in 1995, and 1993 WTC bombing.

Let's not forget the lives taken from us by these bastards during the Clinton watch and why we're thankful the adults in charge now are fighting back.

[BroncosFan]

The question isn't whether 9/11 is a legitimate political issue. Of course it is, no matter how much the Dems try to wish it away. The question is -- is this ad going to do more harm than good AT THIS POINT in the race. Personally, I think the mainstream media backlash they're going to get on this plus the diluted effect of any early ad on the ultimate outcome in the fall, combines to make this a bad tactical move. At this point, 9/11 should be the implied rationale for GWB's candidacy, not the overt one (although a valid counterpoint is: the sheeple are slow and need to be reminded in heavy-handed ways). Maybe, as it gets closer to November, I'd run a smoking rubble ad, but, to me, this seems to much too soon with too much potential blowback. I know they're trying to follow the '96 Morris strategy of branding the opposition in the dead months between the end of the primaries and the convention, but this ad seems like they're going atomic at the first sight of trouble.

[hobbes1]

"It's as sick as people who stole things out of the place," said Firefighter Tommy Fee of Queens Rescue Squad 270

I generally respect Firefighters, but someone tell this dumbass, that it was POLITICS and the adherence to POLITICS above a coherent Foreign Policy for 8 long years, that put them at Ground Zero.

[PSYCHO-FREEP]

About 30% of likely voters don't read the paper, watch the news or balance their checkbooks. They only pay short attention to the last 3 weeks of the election, sometime around the debates in October.

These polls, etc,... will only have some impact at that late stage. So, there is ample time to turn the damage from the negative hate impulses coming from the media, around in short order.

In this day and age, things change almost overnight. What we have on our side is the anniversary of 9/11 in September, the debates, and the economic boost from the Summer months.

Most of all, I believe the media bias is so obvious to the general public, we could well have, a record number of conservative voters come out that are not being factored into the overall statistics projected by the media. This could very well be a remake of the '94 elections when conservatives took control of the legislature.

[5by5]

The Bush Team ran these ads knowing they'd be controversial--but they also knew that the controversy would play to their strengths.

When the 'RATS complain about the ads, they give ground to Bush on the underlying issue--a need for strong national defense.

If they don't complain, Bush will just keep running them (and lots more like it). They're in a box and the only escape is that they can scare Bush off the ads. The media will cooperate by showing lots of quotes from the bereaved.

They can win on this issue if they have the guts to stick it out. I'd like to see Bush talking about what it means to be president during such trying times. This would allow him to highlight his faith as a source of strength which is a sharp contrast to Kerry who looks like he swallowed something bad everytime he utters the word God.

[PSYCHO-FREEP]

When the media over reacts to the adds, they make it sound like some heinous act by the Republicans, which makes the usually uninvolved public pay attention to the ad, which they will see as not so bad, and then the liberals get labeled as whiners and biased, etc,...

Plus that, they forget that during the whole DUmocRAT primaries, we heard every hateful character assassination imaginable of the President 24/7 from the media.

Americans have a strong sense of fairness and the coverage so far, has been far from that. A three year old could easily see the obvious bias and it will play into our favor as the media gets called on their one sided practices.

[optimistically_conservative]

"It's as sick as people who stole things out of the place," said Firefighter Tommy Fee of Queens Rescue Squad 270

Boy, I'm glad that "day of infamy" stuff wasn't political, eh?

[sheltonmac]

It's strange...

Bush shows 9/11 images in an attempt to show he's the one to vote for in November. If the Democrats were to show images from the battlefields of Iraq in an attempt to show Bush is NOT the one to vote for, I guarantee you the Republicans would be jumping all over those ads saying they were in bad taste.

[JohnGalt]

Did Hoover run ads about the 1929 Stock Market crash in the '32 election?

[Burkeman1]

Perhaps we are blessed with the fact that we will most likely not see any campaign TV spots from Bush or Kerry in Massachusetts.

[billbears]

I'm about fed up with these "victims" of 9/11 using their "victim" status to amplify their political voices.

Really! How dare they. They have lost their families. Who cares what they think? We've got to get these pictures in the full political stream. Let's get the most mileage out of them as we can!! We can't have average joes walking around in the streets voicing their political opinions. Why that's just downright 'un-Amurican'. We just need select leaders to speak for us, Republicans only, mind you. Otherwise we may have a threat to the joke of two party system that the elites have in place

I'll tell you what I'm about fed up with. The fact that the deaths of these people and the complete destruction is being dragged out as some sort of test of patriotism anytime someone doubts this administration. You disagree with Bush's domestic policies? Look at this picture of 9/11 and thank God above Bush is there. You disagree with a half a trillion dollar healthcare plan? How dare you!! Look at this picture of a body falling out of the Twin Towers and repent. You doubt WMDs ever existed, especially since none have been found? Look at another picture of 9/11 and forget you ever asked a reasonable question.

The terrorists were in Afghanistan. The Armed Forces removed them from power. But pics of 9/11 do not give the administration a blank check to go on wild goose chases for phantom WMDs or pass massive domestic expenditures in their mysterious quest to limit government through expansion. Bush stepped way over the line. Of course I doubt that will stop the never-ending praise of him by some around here

I'm sorry but the partisan attitude and the jingoism is getting a little rank of late

[sheltonmac]

I'll tell you what I'm about fed up with. The fact that the deaths of these people and the complete destruction is being dragged out as some sort of test of patriotism anytime someone doubts this administration. You disagree with Bush's domestic policies? Look at this picture of 9/11 and thank God above Bush is there. You disagree with a half a trillion dollar healthcare plan? How dare you!! Look at this picture of a body falling out of the Twin Towers and repent. You doubt WMDs ever existed, especially since none have been found? Look at another picture of 9/11 and forget you ever asked a reasonable question.

You nailed it!

[Burkeman1]

Bam! Sweet!

[goldstategop]

I agree. Wait til President Bush runs that carrier landing picture in an ad. Then you'll see the Democrats REALLY flip out! hehehe