Al,
<Font color=brown>The Bushies are all excited about having their convention in NYC to take advantage of 9/11 and show off their 'war' president in the best possible light. What they may not realize is that sentiment in NYC can turn on a dime and end up biting them in the butt.......real hard!<font color=black>
ted
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Bush ads outrage 9/11 families
The Associated Press
March 4, 2004, 12:42 PM EST
Many families of the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attack expressed anger Thursday at President Bush's use of ground zero images in his new campaign ads, accusing him of using the attack for political gain.
Until Bush cooperates with the federal commission that is investigating the nation's preparedness before the attacks and its response "by testifying in public under oath ... he should not be using 9-11 as political propaganda," said Kristen Breitweiser, of Middletown Township, N.J., whose husband, Ronald Breitweiser, 39, died in the World Trade Center.
"Three-thousand people were murdered on President Bush's watch," Breitweiser said. "He has not cooperated with the investigation to find out why that happened." The bipartisan panel reviewing the Sept. 11 attacks has requested private meetings with Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney about what the administration knew before the attacks, potentially a sensitive subject in an election year.
The first three campaign ads, unveiled at campaign headquarters in suburban Washington on Wednesday, will run on broadcast channels in about 80 markets in 18 states, most of which are expected to be competitive, and nationwide on select cable networks.
Two of the spots show pictures of the destruction at the World Trade Center and include pictures of an American flag flying amid the debris. They also feature images of firefighters working through the wreckage.
"I oppose anyone using it to promote their personal agenda," said Sally Regenhard, whose firefighter son, Christian Regenhard, 28, died on Sept. 11, 2001. "While I certainly oppose the commercialization of ground zero, I have to say he's not the only one to further his political goals or to make money off it."
Bush's campaign on Thursday defended the commercials as appropriate for an election about public policy and the war on terror, saying they are a tasteful reminder of what the country has been through the last three years. The campaign previously had said it would not use the attacks for political gain.
"September 11th was not just a distant tragedy. It's a defining event for the future of our country," Karen Hughes, a Bush campaign adviser, told "The Early Show" on CBS. "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."
Patricia Riley, of New Dorp, Staten Island, who lost her sister, Lorraine Riley, 37, in the terrorist attack, agreed with that view, saying Bush's use of Sept. 11 imagery in campaign spots was "appropriate."
"The country needs to be reminded of 9-11," she said. "The president has every right to point to this leadership during that time. We're about to elect another leader, and we have to make decisions on what a person is capable of doing to protect our national security."
The ads do not mention Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry but instead focus on improving Bush's image after lengthy attacks by Democrats in recent months.
Copyright © 2004, Newsday, Inc. |
