Democratic Party Leader Defends Anti-McCain Ads
Howard Dean defended Democratic Party ads suggesting John McCain wants to leave troops in Iraq for 100 years, telling “FOX News Sunday” that it is not a distortion to say that the presumptive Republican nominee has no plan for getting out of Iraq.
The Democratic National Committee is airing two ads about McCain that take partial quotes of the candidate to call him out of touch on the economy and foreign policy.One ad shows McCain saying he thinks Americans are “better off overall” than they were eight years ago. The clip leaves out McCain saying that he understands the American people are hurting. Another ad shows McCain at a rally saying that U.S. troops in Iraq for 100 years is “fine with me.” The ad does not include the rest of the sentence in which McCain added, “as long as Americans are not being injured or harmed or wounded or killed.”
“Anybody who thinks that we can keep our troops in Iraq for 100 years without them being victimized by roadside bombs, suicide bombers and militias I think is wrong and needs … to look carefully at their judgment,” the DNC chairman said. “Americans don’t want our troops in Iraq for 100 years, no matter what they’re doing over there. We can’t afford that. We need the money here at home for our jobs.”
As for the economic ad, Dean attacked President Bush’s tax cuts and said McCain would be four more years of the same.
Dean also denounced some ads being run by Republicans that link Rev. Jeremiah Wright to Barack Obama and then call local and statewide Democratic candidates too extreme because of their support for Obama.
“I think when you start bringing up candidates that have nothing to do with the issue — when you start bringing up things that have nothing to do with the candidate and nothing to do with the issues, that’s race baiting,” Dean said.
Though Obama last week told “FOX News Sunday” that Wright’s statements are a legitimate political issue, Dean said he disagrees.
“He can say whatever he wants. I’m going to say whatever I want. I’m not getting into Reverend Wright. He’s caused enough trouble for our country over the last several weeks,” Dean said.
Dean also said it was right at the time for Democrats to follow John Edwards’ lead last year when he decided not to participate in a Democratic debate on FOX News. Clinton and Obama followed suit, forcing the debate to be canceled. He added that now is the right time for Democrats to return to the network to reach out to all Americans.
“I think it was the right thing to do, because there are some things in the news department that have really been shockingly biased, and I think that’s wrong. And I’ll just say so right up front. But it is important also for us not — we shouldn’t punish the viewers of FOX by staying away,” he said.
FOX News’ Caroline Shively contributed to this report.
Mr. Dean,
You better check with your bosses, MoveOn, DailyKos and Huffington Post to see if it’s ok for the dem candidates to go on Fox.
While DNC chairman Howard Dean seems content to characterize Sen. McCain as a warmonger, Sen. Biden said the following in a recent televised interview: “My fellow Democrats may not like to hear me say this, but I know that John hates war and he would everything he could to get us out of Iraq.” The American people are too smart to fall for Dean’s antics.
It is a shame that politics have gotten dirtier than ever. I for one do care about the Rev. Wright issue, Mr. Dean is dismissing it like it is nothing. Do you really think someone that can’t break away from a bad situation is going to be a good president. I love this country and I want someone that feels the same. Rev. Wright has planted a lot of bad seeds for Obama, he knows Obama better than any of us, and the Rev. statement about Obama denouncing him only because of elections worries me. Obama has no tract record and really doesn’t stand for anything. I am hoping that by the time elections come around that he defines himself. Talk is cheap….
I just read the Fox News transcript of Howard Deans chat with Wallace. This man is the DNC Chairman! He is so small or little.
Mr. Dean:
What arrogance, what elitism, what stupendous ignorance to think that it would punish Fox viewers if Obama and Clinton did not appear. I didn’t hear any Fox viewers expressing sorrow that they couldn’t see Clinton or Obama on Fox. After all, all we would have to do if for some reason we would want to see Obama or Clinton, is change the channel to CNN, MSNBC, CBS, ABC, NBC, or PBS. The real reason Dean is saying that it is the right time to go on Fox is that Clinton and Obama did it without asking him. I suspect that after Nov. Dean will be history, or maybe a dimestore novel.
eeeehaa! There goes Howard. He’s the GOP”S best friend. When all is over and the Dems want to know how they self destucted just call on Howard
they should pull the ad.. the dems should run one about him saying he didnt vote for bush in 2000. Or better yet, run the one with him saying the war was about “oil”. Or run one with him showing his senility on foriegn affairs…