Kerry Condemns Ad Attacking Bush Service By RON FOURNIER, AP Political Writer WASHINGTON - John Kerry on Tuesday condemned a television ad that criticizes President Bush's Vietnam-era service in the Texas Air National Guard, even as prominent veterans linked to the Democratic presidential campaign echoed the commercial's accusations. Bush's campaign accused Kerry of hypocrisy. In a campaign shadowed by the war on terror, the military records of Kerry and Bush emerged again as an issue after Republican Sen. John McCain called on Kerry to denounce an ad that accuses Bush of using family connections to avoid the Vietnam War. McCain, a decorated Vietnam veteran with the reputation of a political maverick, had called on Bush two weeks ago to condemn an ad in which several veterans accused the Kerry of fabricating his war record. The White House has declined to denounce that ad. Kerry, mindful of McCain's political clout, issued a conciliatory statement minutes after the Arizona senator told The Associated Press he wanted Kerry to condemn the anti-Bush ad. "I agree with Senator McCain that the ad is inappropriate," Kerry said in a statement released by his campaign. "This should be a campaign of issues, not insults." http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040817/ap_on_el_pr/campaign_war_records
"This is the bitterest, most unsavory campaign in the nation's history," McCain said. "And it's only going to get worse."
I think we have a bit of hyperbole goin' there, Big John. It's nasty, and the stakes have rarely, if ever, been higher, but this isn't the nastiest ever. No way. Not yet. What's bitter and unsavory to you, Senator, is the fact that you've sold your convictions down the Styx. Doesn't feel good, does it.
Yup. It amazes me how one side derides the other for negative campaigning, then turns around and does it themselves. I'm as guilty of that as the next person. It's also amusing that everyone you talk to says they hate the mudslinging, yet they repeat ad nauseum the mudslinging they hear as fact. National politics in its current state is disgusting.
btw- That deserved removal from the ignore list. We don't really hate each other. Now if I could just get Fisher to take me with a truck load of salt, we'd all be cool again.
In terms of sheer volume, I believe that Bush has eclipsed the amount of negative ads ever run by a single candidate (although to be fair Kerry has a decent amount of negative ads too if you count the Moveon ads)
I guess I've seen too many elections back when Texas was in play. To be truthful, most of the negative stuff I see is on cable. I'm sure that if someone lives in a battleground state, or close to one, or even in a state that one side or the other believes has a shot at an upset, you would see an entirely different picture. I miss it. I hate the fact that Texas is blown off by both the GOP and the Democrats.
I don't hate anyone. For the sake of the board, I put you on ignore for a while. I'm sure the admins appreciated it.
I am just glad that one of the presidential candidates is condemning misleading and/or untruthful advertisements.
It must be hard to keep searching for ways to demean the one candidate who took the high ground on these kinds of personal attack ads. The one thing you can't do is to say well our candidate denounces those kinds of ads too, or the GOP candidate takes the same stand. Because you aren't able to, you search and search for weak connections to try and belittle Kerry's admirable stand in the campaign.
EXACTLY! Politicians used to get into fist fights over issues. There are even duels in our country's history over politics. Hey, maybe we could turn the election into a reality show where the opponents just beat the living hell out of each other or eat worms or something. I bet it would increase voting if you could do it on your cell phone!
I wonder if he would have done it if McCain hadnt called upon him to do it? I wish I really knew for sure, since this action would have made Kerry look better in my eyes if it was done honestly and without someone calling him out to do it. I simply detest...and iI mean DETEST the negative campaigns...talk to me about the freaking ISSUES people...quit using stupid trivialities to try to make your opponent look bad...it just makes you look bad to me.
