Sister of US Soldier Killed in Search for WMD Slams Bush for Crude Joke; $1M Battleground States Ad Buy Launches 'Band of Sisters' Tour
Fri Oct 22, 2:48 PM ET
To: National Desk, Political and Media Reporters
Contact: Trevor Fitzgibbon, Jessica Smith, 202-822-5200, both of Fenton Communications
WASHINGTON, Oct. 22 /U.S. Newswire/ -- A new TV spot featuring Brooke Campbell, the sister of a US soldier killed in Iraq (news - web sites) while searching for weapons of mass destruction, will launch the final round of a multi-city tour in battleground states by a group of women -- "Band of Sisters" -- whose loved ones are currently serving in Iraq.
The $1 million ad buy will run from October 25-27 in FL, IA, MN, NV, OH, PA, and WI, paid for by MoveOn PAC, and created by Win Back Respect, an organization formed to respond rapidly to Republican claims about the Iraq war in the final weeks of the presidential campaign.
The ad, titled "He Doesn't Get It," juxtaposes the President making light of his Administration's deception about the presence of WMD in Iraq with a real-world consequence:
George Bush (news - web sites): Those WMD have got to be somewhere...Ha, ha...nope not over here.
Brooke Campbell: I watched President Bush (news - web sites) make a joke...my brother died looking for WMD.
Campbell, of Kirksville MO, lost her brother Ryan on April 29 in a suicide bomber attack in Iraq. Sgt. Ryan Campbell, who was working to disable land mines when he was killed, had deep misgivings about the Bush Administration's rationale for war in Iraq.
"I was talking to my brother and realizing that even someone who wanted very desperately to believe the story we had been told as a nation, just couldn't do it," Campbell said.
"I think it's an unpardonable crime to ask somebody to risk his or her life for something that is impossible to believe in. That's why I'm speaking out now. I think it is a critical moment when we have to decide, as a nation, not to continue to follow bad leadership," she concluded.
"This ad shows just how out of touch with reality this President is. It is hard to imagine an appropriate joke in connection with such a costly deception. Bush's reckless rush to war in Iraq- based on false claims like the existence of WMD-has resulted in thousands of US deaths and casualties," said Eli Pariser, executive director of MoveOn PAC.
MoveOn PAC raised $1.2 million from 18,477 members in the first twelve hours of an appeal to help get the ad on the air. In addition to the ad buy, a website run by Win Back Respect -- brookesstory.com -- has been launched to tell how Brooke Campbell's life changed as a result of President Bush's disastrous Iraq policy.
Matt Bennett, spokesperson for Win Back Respect said, "Brooke's story is not unique. She is joined by women from around the country who are horrified by the cavalier way in which George Bush has put their loved ones in harms way in Iraq."
Brooke Campbell is a member of Win Back Respect's 'Band of Sisters'-a courageous group of women whose loved ones are or were serving in Iraq and who are touring the country speaking out about the administration's policies See: winbackrespect.org
story.news.yahoo.com. |
