RNC Ad Lies

FactCheck.org reported last night on the latest RNC attack ad, available on the GOP website. The ad appears on a page with the words "get the facts" in a few places, but the page offers some creative editing that would put "Rather-gate" to shame.

First noticed by several bloggers was an interesting photograph of Howard Dean. (The photographs, including the undoctored version, are shown as part of the FactCheck article.) The photograph is taken from Dean's January 2004 "I have a scream" speech. In the RNC version, some slight shading gives the impression of a Hitler mustache. After being called out on the doctored photograph, the RNC later posted a cleaned up version, but you can view all three images on FactCheck's website.

The main problem with the ad, however, is that it seeks to grossly mislead, if not outright deceive its audience by taking a quote from John Murtha out of context. The quote featured in the ad is John Murtha saying, "We're more dangerous to world peace than North Korea or Iran."

What he actually said was this: "Fifty-six per cent of the people in Spain think it's more dangerous, the United States is more dangerous in Iraq than Iran is. Every one of our allies think that the United States being in Iraq is more dangerous to world stability and world peace, every one of our allies, Great Britain, every single country, they think it's, we're more dangerous to world peace than North Korea or Iran. That says something."

Kind of changes the meaning, doesn't it?

The ad makes it sound as if Murtha is saying that he believes we are more dangerous to world peace than North Korea and Iran. What he's actually saying is that our allies believe that we are more dangerous to world peace than North Korea and Iran. The ad mischaracterizes Murtha in an attempt to make him and fellow Democrats seem seethingly anti-American.

Now, this to me seems childish. While Dems have no room to talk when it comes to attack campaigns, the Republicans seem to have gotten steadily worse. If it ain't Twinkle buying plane tickets, it's the RNC painting a Hitler-stache on Howard Dean. Meanwhile, I'm ready to lose my lunch over this senseless crap.

This has got to stop, people!