Ad assails McCain for suggesting troops' century-long role in Iraq
A hard-hitting new TV ad slams John McCain for suggesting that US troops might be in Iraq for 100 years, albeit in a peacekeeping role.
In the spot, an actress playing a young mother holds a baby boy and speaks to the camera as if it were the presumptive Republican nominee.
"Hi, John McCain," she says. "This is Alex. And he's my first. So far his talents include trying any new food and chasing after our dog. That, and making my heart pound every time I look at him.
"And so, John McCain, when you say you would stay in Iraq for 100 years, were you counting on Alex?" the mother asks, her voice wavering. "Because if you were, you can't have him."
The ad is the latest effort by McCain's foes to capitalize on a remark he made in January at a town hall meeting in New Hampshire that he could see American forces in Iraq for 50 or 100 years in a similar role as troops in Korea.
The ad is financed by the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, which had supported Hillary Clinton during the Democratic primaries, and by MoveOn.org, the antiwar group that has strongly supported presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama. It is to begin airing nationally today on CNN and MSNBC, and also in Ohio, Michigan, and Wisconsin.
"The ad aims to give voice to so many people who are frustrated that we seem to be stuck in Iraq," said Eli Pariser, MoveOn.org's executive director. "It speaks to the worry that people have that we'll be sending another generation of young men and women to Iraq if we continue."
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"In previous terrorist attacks - for example, the first attack against the World Trade Center - we were able to arrest those responsible, put them on trial. They are currently in US prisons, incapacitated," Obama said in an interview aired on ABC News Monday evening. "And the fact that the administration has not tried to do that has created a situation where not only have we never actually put many of these folks on trial, but we have destroyed our credibility when it comes to rule of law all around the world, and given a huge boost to terrorist recruitment in countries that say, 'Look, this is how the United States treats Muslims.' "
In dueling conference calls with reporters yesterday, McCain's foreign policy adviser, Randy Scheunemann, said Obama is advocating a "policy of delusion" that reflects a "Sept. 10th mindset," while Senator John F. Kerry said McCain has an "Iraq war mindset" that blinds him to America's real security challenges.
McCain's campaign ratcheted up the back-and-forth by calling on his former rival, Rudy Giuliani, who made his national reputation as New York's mayor during and after the Sept. 11 attack.
"Barack Obama appears to believe that terrorists should be treated like criminals - a belief that underscores his fundamental lack of judgment regarding our national security. In a post-9/11 world, we need to remain on offense against the terrorist threat which seeks to destroy our very way of life," Giuliani said in a written statement.
Obama hit back, telling reporters on his campaign plane that Republicans have no "standing to suggest that they've learned a lot of lessons from 9/11."
"Let's think about this: these are the same guys who helped engineer the distraction of the war in Iraq at a time when we could have pinned down the people who actually committed 9/11," he said. "What they're trying to do is what they've done every election cycle, which is to use terrorism as a club to make the American people afraid."
FOON RHEE
At issue is a $4 million line of credit, which while not secured by public funds, did require him to reapply for public funds if he lost early contests and to use that money as collateral.
Once his campaign rebounded, he opted out of the public financing system so he could raise private money.
FOON RHEE
