MoveOn Uses Richard Clarke Testimony in New Anti-Bush Ad
By Jimmy Moore
Talon News
March 26, 2004

Liberal online political activist group MoveOn.org is using testimony from former White House counterterrorism head Richard Clarke in a new political ad to promote their anti-Bush agenda.

In the ad, MoveOn.org accuses President George W. Bush of politicizing September 11 by using images from the World Trade Center Towers in a recent campaign commercial.

"George Bush shamelessly exploited 9/11 in his campaign commercials," the announcer states at the beginning of the ad.

The attention in the ad is shifted to a quote by Clarke expressing his opinion about Bush and his handling of the war on terrorism from testimony he gave this week.

"Frankly, I find it outrageous that a president is running for reelection on the grounds that he'd done such great things on terrorism. He ignored terrorism for months, when maybe we could have done something to stop 9/11," Clarke is quoted in the ad as saying.

The attack ad concludes with, "George W. Bush. A failure of leadership."

MoveOn.org told its members in an e-mail this week that it would like to raise $300,000 by next week to begin running the ad in key presidential battleground states.

Describing Clarke as a "true believer" who doesn't play "partisan politics," MoveOn.org said they believe Clarke's message needs to be released to American voters to inform them of the Bush administration's alleged failure to prevent the terrorist attacks on September 11.

MoveOn.org accuses members of the Bush administration of character assassination on Clarke, whom they identify as a Republican.

"Clarke's words remain a searing indictment of the Bush administration's campaign against terrorism," MoveOn.org writes in an e-mail. "Together, if we act today, we can beat back the spin by widely airing a TV ad which gets these uniquely credible comments directly to TV viewers."

With Bush running as a "wartime President," MoveOn.org said it hopes these ads will "show how deeply flawed that record is."

However, even MoveOn.org admits the story will soon evaporate in the minds of the voters if they do not respond soon.

"But if we don't act fast, the public may not have a chance to evaluate the facts for themselves -- the story could go away quickly," MoveOn.org warns, in a plea for donations. "With an ad, we can take Clarke's comments directly to the public."

Interestingly, although solicitations are made by MoveOn.org for this particular ad, the group states it reserves the right "to use your contribution for other advertising, public relations, and advocacy activities" deemed appropriate.

MoveOn.org is not the only group using the Clarke testimony to appeal for money from its members.

The equally leftist Bush-bashing group America Coming Together (ACT) is also using the Clarke testimony in their fundraising efforts.

In an e-mail sent to their supporters earlier this week, ACT praised Clarke's "convincing proof" of Bush's "failure to focus on terrorist threats."

Pointing to the "terrible job on the war on terrorism" by Bush, ACT said it will be "fighting to get the truth out" to voters before November.

"We are already on the ground in 10 states, educating, mobilizing, and organizing," the group wrote in the e-mail. "Your generous gift today can support new offices in battleground states, and even greater effort in the states where we work."