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Politics : Liberalism: Do You Agree We've Had Enough of It? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: tonto who wrote (33427)	7/6/2008 7:43:07 AM
From: lorne	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 224755

Veterans’ Group Hopes to Counter MoveOn With Ad Campaign by FOXNews.com Saturday, July 5, 2008 elections.foxnews.com A veterans’ group that sharply criticized Barack Obama is planning a multimillion-dollar ad campaign, which it hopes will counter the anti-war message of MoveOn.org in the run-up to the general election. The group, Vets for Freedom, plans to launch its four-month campaign next week, called “Four Months, for Victory.” Chairman Pete Hegseth said the group’s first ad buy will not mention either Obama or John McCain. He said the group has not endorsed anybody in the presidential race. But Vets for Freedom, made up of veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan, considers McCain a key ally and could provide the Republican presidential candidate with a boost, simply by espousing the kind of stay-the-course strategy he has advocated. The 25,000-member group is a firm proponent of the troop buildup in Iraq. Hegseth, in an interview with FOXNews.com, said he hopes to outmatch the message coming out of MoveOn.org — which has endorsed Obama and is already running ads accusing McCain of wanting to wage a near-endless war in Iraq. “We would love to counter their message. I think the American people would rather hear from those who served than those who … call our generals traitors,” Hegseth said. “We need to ensure that we capitalize on the successful efforts (in Iraq) and ultimately do what we can to finish the job and get our troops back with honor.” He said the first ad buy, which would run for two weeks, will cost about $1.5 million. He noted that that is more than the $500,000 MoveOn.org spent on their most recent ad, which was scheduled to run one week. That ad was paid for by MoveOn.org and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. It featured an actress who, holding an infant named Alex, addressed McCain and said “when you say you would stay in Iraq for 100 years, were you counting on Alex? Because if you were, you can’t have him.” The ad was scheduled to air nationally on select cable networks and in the Ohio, Michigan and Wisconsin markets. Hegseth said his group is also targeting such battleground states. He said the first ad will run in Virginia, Ohio, Colorado and Michigan. And he said $1.5 million is just the start. “We hope to spend exponentially more in the next four months,” he said. The group is a non-profit 501(c)(4) and Hegseth stressed that it was not running “attack” ads. In a statement, the group said it would release “pointed ads” as part of an effort to “inform the American public and key lawmakers about the phenomenal success that our troops have achieved as a result of the surge and the importance of ensuring victory in Iraq, Afghanistan and the overall global war on terrorism.” But Vets for Freedom applied pressure on Obama in May when it released a pair of Web videos criticizing the Illinois senator for not having visited Iraq since January 2006. McCain seemed to echo the group’s talking points on the campaign trail, and Obama since has begun formalizing a trip to Iraq and Afghanistan, which he’s expected to take this summer. “The surge worked. But Barack Obama wouldn’t know that, because he hasn’t been there in over two years,” one veteran said in one of the videos. Veterans from both wars also are expected to appear in the new ad, according to the group. Asked if future ads would criticize Obama, Hegseth said: “There’s a possibility we may be critical of a number of legislators … that’s to be determined.” A representative from MoveOn.org could not be reached for comment. McCain, who trails Obama in overall fundraising, so far has not been aided by many outside groups. The veterans’ group also is planning a ground campaign, tapping veteran members throughout the country to spread “the ground truth” about progress in both wars. In May, two top McCain surrogates — Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman and South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham — stepped down from their positions on the policy board of Vets for Freedom to comply with McCain’s campaign guidelines prohibiting campaign operatives from working with independent political groups.

To: tonto who wrote (33427)	7/6/2008 8:43:49 AM
From: TideGlider	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 224755

Smeed's beef with Obama ideological, not racial in nature By Maurice Clements Updated 12 hours 36 minutes ago Aaron LaBarbera of Caidwell, in a “Letter to the Editor” on June 25, scolded Ralph Smeed for a recent message on Smeed’s famous Reader Board sign. The message went as follows: “You don’t like John McCain, eh? Well, just remember he’s the only thing standing between America and Barack Hussein Obama.” Mr. LaBarbera, as typical of many liberals, assumed that Mr. Smeed opposes the election of Senator Obama as president of the United States because he is black. Indeed, a very racist assumption. As most politically informed people in Idaho know, Mr. Smeed is a long-time icon of the conservative movement. What Mr. Smeed was trying to illustrate was, as liberal as Senator McCain appears to be, he pales in comparison to the liberal Senator Obama. Senator Obama is credited with the dubious label as “The Most Liberal Senator in Wahington D.C.” Based on his voting record, you could accurately describe him as a “Socialist”. Add to that concern his questionable association with the likes of Reverend Wright, his radical minister of 20 years, Mr. Rezko, the indicted fraud and influence peddler from Chicago, Bill Ayers, a convicted Weather Underground terrorist and bomber, and last but not least, Louis Farrakhan, head of the Nation of Islam and an admitted racist. Mr. Smeed’s concern that Sen. Obama may become president is based on ideology, not that he is black. In addition, he has grave doubts about Sen. Obama’s judgment based on the company he keeps in his rise to political prominence, as illustrated by the persons cited above. Mr. Smeed could care less if Sen. Obama is black. Sen. Obama’s opposition to the capitalistic system of limited government, property rights and individual freedom is what worries Mr. Smeed. In point of fact, Mr. Smeed has many black friends, not because they are black but because they share many if not most of Mr. Smeed’s principles and ideology. To name a few, and not in order of their importance, they are Deneen Borelli, Thomas Sowell, Greg Brown, Shelby Steele, Paul Venable, Walter Williams and Florence Erickson. Mr. LaBarbera tries to sully Mr. Smeed’s sign, his reputation and his good name by the baseless accusation of racism. I had hoped for better from the far left. * Maurice Clements is a former legislator, retired farmer and active Realtor. idahopress.com