DNC Iraq McCain Ad Sparks Controversy: Watch Video

UPDATE: The RNC is threatening legal action over the DNC's Iraq ad:

Saying that the Democratic National Committee's latest TV ad is "maliciously false" and "deliberately misleading," Republican National Committee Chairman Robert "Mike" Duncan just told reporters that the GOP is asking networks not to run the ad and reserves the right to take legal action, if necessary, to try to keep it off the air.

The RNC's complaint is that the ad, called 100, takes comments made by Sen. John McCain out of context to make voters think that he wants to keep U.S. troops in Iraq for up to 100 more years.

The DNC responded on a conference call of its own:

DNC chairman Howard Dean flatly denied the charge of coordination with the campaigns. In a conference call a few moments ago with reporters, he said he hasn't spoken with either candidate or their teams about the ad. He also said the party "deliberately used John McCain's words" in the spot so there would be no question about the spot's veracity.

"We simply don't believe the American people want to stay in Iraq for 100 years whether it's as a peacekeeping force or at war," he said. "... Sen. McCain said what he said he said -- we should be in Iraq for 100 years. I think that was a very foolish position to take."

As for the RNC's threats to sue, Dean said, "Let them do it. I understand the RNC thinks it's illegal to criticize John McCain."

DNC General Counsel Joe Sandler said the spot was offered to FNC, too, and that he's gotten "no indication at all from the networks that they have any intention at all of pulling down this ad."

ORIGINAL POST:

Here's a first look at the Democratic Party's new ad hitting Sen. John McCain -- the first DNC spot to take on McCain over his support for the Iraq war.

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The 30-second ad manages to squeeze in not one but two clips of McCain's infamous exchange at a town hall meeting declaring that he'd be "fine" staying in Iraq for 100 years. In between, we see edgy shots of chaos in Iraq, including a bomb going off behind a startled U.S. soldier, and Iraqis scrambling around an exploded car.

The McCain campaign is sure to go apoplectic over the spot. In the past few months, they've sent out no less than 13 emails decrying the use of the "100 years" line by his political opponents. But the DNC plays it smart by not characterizing McCain's words, and it's hard to argue with the tape.

The ad is part of a $500,000 buy on national cable networks. Take a look:

"What John McCain doesn't understand is that the American people aren't fine with being in Iraq for 100 years in any capacity," said Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean. "The American people want a President who will responsibly end the war, not more of the same failed policy in Iraq that continues to cost $12 billion a month. They want a President who will invest that money here at home to create jobs and ensure our kids have health care. The more voters learn about John McCain, we're confident they will recognize that he is the wrong choice for America's future."

Comments

[jfor]

Of course the GOP wants to sue. Republicans are pussies, They cheat, they lie, they steal and they whine and whine and whine. The GOP is full of hypocritical asswipes who love to tell us the best way to live while they are banging thier interns and congressional paiges, They call our veterans unpatrriotic even though it is they who never put on the uniform. They give our money to their cronies, run up the deficit and tell us it is the liberals who are out of control spenders. They say over and over again that they are supportive of states rights and then propose constitutional amendments so you can never actually have those rights in any state. They attack medical marijuana while they are strung out on prescription meds. On and on it goes everyday they take it one step further than they did the day before.. Fact is people Republicans especially Neocons hate this country with a passion and they prove it everyday with their words and their deeds.

[MissingAmerica]

I find it curious that the GOP want to sue over an ad they feel misrepresents their candidate, while they remain staunchly behind this corrupt GOP administration and continue to block any semblance of justice or progress for this country. The GOP need to disband and start over again as soon as they figure out what it is to be American. This should include an indepth class on the Constitution, with mandatory revisitation of that great document every two years.

[unpeople]

Oh please, oh please, oh please, oh please, oh PLEASE let them sue. Remember when Bill O'Reilly and FOX News sued Al Franken over his book's ironic use of the slogan "Fair and Balanced?" The judge literally laughed them out of court. Oh, and Franken's book skyrocketed to #1 on the bestsellers' lists, and stayed there for months.

[totalliberal]

I kind of like the title of Franken's on Rush. "Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot."
It has a nice ring to it.

What are they going to say in court? "I know it sounds like he said it your honour, but if you listen very carefully, he didn't say it. In fact he didn't say anything because he wasn't there.....­... In fact there is no there."

[EyeballKid]

Limbaugh is advocating for riots in Denver, and not-so-coi­ncidentall­y, a black-op front group called "Recreate '68" has opened up a website to advocate for civil unrest at the Denver Convention.

Remember that one of the neo-cons' favorite brown-shirt corporations, KBR, has constructed several, and perhaps dozens, of "detention camps" all over the country. Also note that the US has the highest percentage of its population already sitting in jails than any other country on Earth. The US is already a police-state, a nation of madmen at the heads of government. Setting up a black-op to collect "activists" at the Convention, herd them into detention camps, and define them as "domestic terrorists" is completely congruent with neo-conservative policies.

[RS]

And you can bet the house that TOTALLY FRIVILOUS lawsuit cost News Corporation (the parent company of Faux Spews Channel) MILLIONS OF $$$$ in legal fees. OK, I realize that's nothing but pocket change for Herr Goebbels (Rupert Murdoch) and his stockholders.

By the way, I own copies of Al Franken's bestsellers "Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot And Other Observations" and "Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right".

[Hillbug]

I find it so funny that the GOP is complaining about the ad being out of context (c'mon. We ALL know it isn't, but that's the GOP, I suppose...­) while running ads based on snippets of Wright's sermons.

[Powderhound522]

Well, it actually IS out of context. But turn and turn about, I suppose.

[minneapolismn]

How IS it out of context? The words are his, he thinks we should keep our military there just as we are in South Korea and in Japan, the difference is that if we stay in Iraq we'll spend billions per year, sustain injuries and the unfortunate deaths of our young men and women because Iraq will never be stable like Japan and South Korea because the war in Iraq is not us against them, it's them against them and we're in the middle of it.

[Americanium]

John McCain has lost his marbles. In trying to be loved by the GOP base he is spouting things that he thinks they like to hear and turning off independents and Republicans alike who thought they had gotten rid of the neocons.
Hillary or Obama ..McCain is gonna get the spanking of his life.

The Gulf Coast is still not rebuild and people are losing their life savings .

McCain is done..the media can spin as much as they want ..He is done!!

[moderationsmuse]

curmudgeon3
You say: "Try the same websites with which, as a self-proclaimed moderate, you must surely be familiar. If you are still perplexed, try doing a web search for Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity, Ann Coulter, Laura Ingraham, Glen Beck, Neal Boortz, Michael Savage, and Michelle Malkin. That should be good for starters. ....Their many listeners could most assuredly benefit from your profound wisdom as well."
Might surprise you to know that I have never heard of four of the people on your list: Ingraham, Beck, Boortz, & Savage. I have heard of Limbaugh and Malkin, but am unacquainted with their views. You appear to know more about the fearsome Right wing fringe, than I do. I've seen O'Reilly's show enough to know that he's biased but does give air time to opponents, as does Hannity. I read Coulter's book "Godless" and one of Richard Dawkins's books together.
I have thought about making an experiment of posting to a "right-wing" site pretending to be a "progressive," and using the same courteous language that I use here to see if they react differently or to discover whether they are as rabid as some Huff post folks. My guess is that I'll find a kind of mirror image of Huff. Would be an interesting experiment. You really want me to try and report back to the Huffers? In earnest?

[geobushono]

WE have been bloodied for 8 years, some of it inflicted by our fellow Dems......­....that's changing, and the repugs are going away for 40 years after the beating that is coming.
It's payback.
The repugs & their 527's, are so arrogant they haven't stopped to even consider the shock and awe that's coming with this tsunami...­..
It's harder to sell their elitist bullshit to a family who was comfortable and now finds it hard to buy gas and food......­..........­.......I CAN HARDLY WAIT......­.........

[Scarllatti]

McCain ain't seen anything yet. He should reserve his court actions till November because the Dems. will unload on him. What goes around comes around. He benefited from the swift-boating of John Kerry and still participates behind the door in tying Obama to Rev. Wright. McCain will be swift-boated with his so-called torture in Viet-nam

[CactusTom]

It’s all very simple. The Neocons said to McCain, look Mr. Straight talk, we run the show in the Republican Party so if you want to run as a Republican you will follow our line, Sir. And our aim is to play right into the hands of the terrorist so that we can keep the war going forever, or as long as it takes to push most of the national treasure into the lap of our friends.

[MsLiz]

The legal cause of action threatened by the RNC to prevent airing of the ad would be unconstitutional as a prior restraint on speech. Political speech is particularly protected. No US court would grant such an injunction . . . unless the judge were a Republican with no respect for the Constitution. Uh, oh.

[calfacon]

Since when did un-Constit­utionality matter to the Repugs? Yeah, you're exactly right, "uh, oh"

[rollingdivision]

The Republicans know there is non a chance in this world that this ad will be pulled. Their real goal is to demonstrate that regardless of what Obama says, he is not any different than any other politician. And to gain for publicity for their point. Strategic not tactical.

[writeaway]

It is not beyond possibilites that networks will refuse to air the spot. Its been done before and seeing as they are controlled by Republicans its highly likey.

[maryrat]

Obama did not put out this ad...the DNC did. Read the article.

[VillyVal]

How soon until it can get before the Supreme Court?

[AMJordan]

Let me see if I have this straight.

AFTER what the Repulsives did to John Kerry...
AFTER what the REpulsives did the Max Cleland
AFTER what the Repulsives did to Valarie Plame
AFTER what the Repulsives did to Al Gore
AFTER what the Repulsives did to Bill Clinton

NOW they're crying?

Bwah hahahahahahahhahah!

[RS]

I've said this before and I'll say it again: Reich-wing Republicans can sure as hell dish it out, BUT THEY CAN'T TAKE IT!

[globality]

War is all he knows. He comes from a multi generational warrior clan. It's in his blood.

[minneapolismn]

AMEN! I'm so tired of hearing POW POW POW. Just because McCain was in the service and just because he was a POW does not make him an expert on foreign policy and it does not make him an expert at military strategy. I too was in the service and trust me, that guy next to you doesn't exactly need to know much aside from doing what his job in the service is. Even a pilot, they need to know how to fly and how to do their job but it does not mean they know actual military strategy and (god forbid) diplomacy.

This is a fight we need to have, we need to let people know that just because John McCain was a POW in Vietnam does not give him automatic credibility when it comes to military affairs and international relations. He knew at a young age he wanted to go into the service, he was born and bread to be military from day one THAT is his experience­...Militar­y from DAY ONE.

His 100 years comment is actually being nice to him, I believe he said a thousand also if needed.

[Canaris]

John McCain's plan for Iraq:

"We'll stay in Iraq until no more American lives are being lost. Then, we'll stay in Iraq"

[minneapolismn]

I liked John Stewart's take on it:

"If we can eliminate the casualties that's the key to success" Quoting John McCain. Stewart: "You know, if we leave casualties go down considerab­ly."