RNC Running Ads
Aside from Iowa and New Hampshire’s status as early primary states, they’re also swing states that can play an important role in the general election (Bush would have lost in 2000 without New Hampshire.)
To counter the relentless negativity of the Democrat presidential primary, the RNC is running positive ads in those states:
The new commercial gives the first hint of the themes Mr. Bush’s campaign is likely to press in its early days. It shows Mr. Bush, during the last State of the Union address, warning of continued threats to the nation: “Our war against terror is a contest of will, in which perseverance is power,” he says after the screen flashes the words, “Some are now attacking the president for attacking the terrorists.”…
The 30-second advertisement gives the first sampling of the powerful array of images Mr. Bush’s campaign team will have at its disposal when it begins what is expected to be a formidable advertising campaign.
With somber strings playing in the background, the commercial flashes the words “Strong and Principled Leadership” before cutting to Mr. Bush standing before members of Congress. Intended to call out the Democrats for their opposition to Mr. Bush’s military strategy of pre-emptively striking those who pose threats to the nation, the screen flashes “Some call for us to retreat, putting our national security in the hands of others,” then urges viewers to tell Congress “to support the president’s policy of pre-emptive self defense.”
Since the ads are being aired by the RNC and not the Bush campaign, the president doesn’t have to make the ridiculous “I approved this message” statement that the Democrats have to make in their ads because of John McCain’s campaign finance “reform” law.
UPDATE: Here’s the ad video clip. It’s very effective and illustrates the extent to which national security could be a serious Democrat weakness in 2004.
UPDATE 2: Here’s the official RNC press release, which includes a link to the video.
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