The week did not start well for Rudy Giuliani. Several polls were released showing the entrance of Fred Thompson into the race for GOP nominee had tightened up the contest considerably as the former Tennessee Senator cut into Giuliani’s lead significantly in several states.
Suddenly, Giuliani looked very vulnerable - especially among the conservative base who seemed to be warming to Thompson’s down home charm and classic conservative positions on many issues.
But thankfully from Rudy’s point of view, an opportunity presented itself for him to rally the base to his candidacy and show himself capable of standing up to those who would smear the military while taking on the leading Democratic candidate for appearing to agree with the slimers.
Salvation came in the form of the dumbest, the most spectacularly ignorant political maneuver in modern history. Radical anti-war group and huge Democratic party asset Moveon.Org published a full page ad in the New York Times (at an apparent discount) referring to General David Petraeus as General “Betray-Us.”
There is very little disagreement that Moveon’s smear job against General Petraeus actually turned the tide and put the anti-war Democrats on the defensive while rallying and energizing the GOP base to support the General’s plan for Iraq. And Giuliani, seeing the opportunity to exploit that stupidity, emerged by week’s end as the General’s most visible champion by buying his own ad in the Times savaging both Moveon and Hillary Clinton, whose statement that in order to believe the General you would have to “suspend belief” seemed to dovetail with the anti-war group’s message.
Giuliani, calling MoveOn.org’s controversial “General Betray Us†ad “abominable,†said his campaign is asking the paper for a comparable rate for an ad to run following President Bush’s speech on Iraq.
The former mayor said his ad “will obviously take the opposite view†from MoveOn.org, which argued in its ad that Gen. David Petraeus is “cooking the books†on Iraq and cherry-picking facts that support his recommendation to keep a large number of troops in Iraq for some time.
Giuliani continued to include Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) in his criticisms for her comments that it would take “a willing suspension of disbelief†to accept at face value Petraeus’s report on the situation in Iraq. Giuliani interpreted Clinton’s remarks at a hearing earlier this week as questioning the general’s integrity.
The ad, which Giuliani ended up getting the same rate as Moveon, turned out to be something of a campaign ad for Rudy rather than a defense of Petraeus. Allah and some others were not amused but the ad served its purpose of placing Giuliani front and center in the debate.
Rudy followed up the print ad with a devastating attack ad he released on the web:
Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani launched his first Internet ad on Friday, an attack on Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton.
Called “She Changed,” it links Sen. Clinton of New York with a controversial newspaper ad by the left-leaning group MoveOn.org.
It also accuses her of changing positions on the Iraq war between 2002 and today.
It includes footage of her at the recent Senate Armed Services Committee hearing with Army Gen. David Petraeus, whom MoveOn labelled “General Betray Us” in an ad on Monday that drew heated criticism from Republicans.
Again, Allah disses Rudy for “shamelessly exploiting” the Moveon ad and making the point that having the General appear in GOP ads does him no favors, identifying him with Republicans which only buttresses the critics who say he’s “carrying water” for the party.
These are valid points but I think they miss the big picture. The Moveon ad altered the political landscape, the controversy drowning out any criticism directed at the General and anyone who supports him. I believe Rudy’s moves to exploit the controversy - shamelessly or not - will play very well with conservatives who are tired of anti-war Democrats smearing those who support the mission.
Whether any of Rudy’s moves translates into additional conservative support remains to be seen. But I don’t doubt that many are grateful to him for coming to the defense of Petraeus and taking on Hillary and the anti-war left so directly.
9:57 am
“Salvation came in the form of the dumbest, the most spectacularly ignorant political maneuver in modern history.”
Rick, you are RIGHT-on with the above, and we needed it. Pent-up anger has been building within the Republican Party for a long time, because of these supposedly Americans enabling our enemies with all of their terrible Propaganda.
Rudy entered the fray at the right time and right place.
Some Democrat (NOT Democratic) TV pundits are predicting this will be forgotten soon and go away, like a 48 hour story. NO WAY!!! This will be emblazened in our minds as much as we’ve never forgotten how they treated our Soldiers returning from Viet Nam.
Thank you for your Website and all you do.
Hell Hath No Fury Like a Country Scorned!!!!
10:41 am
Re: comment in Michele Malkin’s Live Blogging today. I read a comment, about Code Pink {gag..spit} taking add in Iraq newspaper. And I searched and found this!
http://www.esteklal.org/article.php?list=type&type=143
Tried to join Word Press but no luck.. Wanted to comment with this link! Please, go check my Blogger blog out to see that I’m me. And click on the Code Pink link. And see it too.
And if all this satisfies you, will you please comment on Michele’s blog, about this??????? I am so frustrated to not be able to put a firm link, with that said-on-tv thing, about {gag…spit} Code Pink.
Please and thank you,
Granee
12:20 pm
The “leadership” calling the shots at MoveOn could not have missed their intended mark any further if they’d tried. And to think they made an extra fund-raising push to finance this advertising fiasco in the NY Times. Just think of the PR positives which could have been accomplished with that money, such as helping ANSWER print more posters/leaflets hyping the “die-in” to be staged in the Capitol today or enabling more people from CodePink to act like “assholes” in the halls of Congress, as they were so aptly labeled by House Armed Services Chairman Ike Skelton(D) this week.
1:36 pm
A Conservative Union group filed a lawsuit against MoveOn and NYT alledging the involvement of soft money as reported by Fox News today.
Also, there is video of MSNBC’s Countdown with Keith Olberman displaying “Will he Betray Us” in a caption back on August 16th.
5:00 pm
We have been waiting for so long for a Republican to take on these creeps. Go Rudy!
5:17 pm
This ad seems to have been a specatularly dumb move by Moveon.org. This move seems to have been so dumb that I wonder if there is some brilliance to it that I am missing.
5:18 pm
Thompson courts gun advocates in Florida
…
Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson walked through rows of assault rifles, pistols and o…
6:42 pm
Rick–I haven’t seen anybody mention this damning sentence from the MoveOn ad: “Today, before Congress and the American people, General Petraeus is likely to become General Betray Us.”
The specificity of that sentence defies the excuse of being a mere coincidence. And clearly it wasn’t a broadly applicable sentence.
Therefore, that sentence proves that MoveOn.org didn’t get, as the NY Times claims, the ad rate of a float or stand by ad.
Also, if a float ad, which the Times describes as ads that float without a
scheduled publication date, has no “scheduled publication date,” why did moveon.org get a discount on an ad that clearly from the sentence about, had a scheduled publication date?
6:45 pm
Andrew:
Precisely. That’s the basis for the ACU complaint against the Times and Moveon. That the Times was planning to run the ad on the day of Petraeus’s testimony regardless of anything else.
It was an in kind political contribution by the Times - a violation of the law.
6:54 pm
And another thing; I heard or read a report somewhere that the Times, under intense public criticism, made a statement saying they didn’t review or edit the content of advocacy ads which, if true, disproves any claims of last minute same day edits. I think that sentence pretty much cooks their goose.
P.S. I changed my screen name from Andrew Bryant to coffee260. A mere formality. Forgive me.
8:37 pm
Just a question - what about all the right-wing pro war types who call anyone who opposes this little war of ours “traitors?” Where’s your righteous anger there Rick? Where’s your anger at the Pentagon’s note questioning Hilary Clinton’s patriotism after she asked for any plans they may have for a withdrawal (which as I’ve been led to believe was routine?)
Not saying that the ad was right..but some consistency in your anger might be a good idea from the rhetorical argumentative standpoint.
8:46 pm
from an earlier post:
“Then again, what does it say about Code Pink that I saw no reason why they couldn’t have marched down the street with such a sign?”
your willingness to take at face value an obviously photoshopped image says nothing about code pink, yet it speaks volumes about you, and your pathetic mea culpa serves only to punctaute your profound ingorance.
KEvron
11:25 pm
“Suspension of Disbelief”: What Did Hillary Mean, Exactly?…
In a post at Right Wing Nuthouse Rick Moran misquotes, I believe, Hillary Clinton during her questioning of General Petraeus. Rick says (emphases mine): There is very little disagreement that Moveon’s smear job against General Petraeus actually turne…
12:25 am
@Rick:
Whats your take on the Pentagon saying the use of the General in Rudy’s ad wasn’t authorized? Bad move for Rudy, or no big deal?
6:55 am
#12
This image has not been photoshopped. Can you provide a rational justification for such profoundly ignorant behavior?
7:38 am
Your comment was deleted for the use of an obscenity. Remove it and republish.
8:40 am
[...] Right Wing Nut House discusses Rudy taking on MorOn.org. I like his end game [...]
11:01 pm
No other candidate besides Rudy gets it: to beat Hillary next year, start the campaign against her now. The moveon.org ad provided the perfect opportunity for setting the line in the sand. Hillary dissed a General who she would command if she became president. Her slander was the same as moveon.org but just more haughty. I was not a Rudy fan as a presidential candidate before but now I am. He knows how to fight Hillary and the Democratic machine and showed it in that ad. He fought in campaigns in NY and anyone will tell you that no wimps will win there. I think Rudy has the chemistry to fight and fight hard. I hope he exploits every Clinton and Democrat sham. Criticizing moveon.org is one thing; placing an ad in the same paper, shows he knows how to strike back hard. That’s a leader I want in the GWOT.
10:03 am
Every other candidate will now want the MoveOn/Giuliani ad rate, and thank goodness that the ultimate evil that forces campaign finance reform, the high cost of ads in the media, has been tamed a bit, without any new laws or actions by the FEC.
Another perfect example of the free market working.
8:32 pm
“The Moveon ad altered the political landscape, the controversy drowning out any criticism directed at the General and anyone who supports him.”
wrong again. few folks outside of blogistan even know about it. geez, you are off your game these days.
12:23 pm
Rick,
I have said this over and over. This whole fiasco is the gift that keeps on giving for the Republicans. Of course, Rudy exploited this. There was plenty there to exploit. This story is so juicy that frankly no one knows when it will go away. Everyday something new comes out that advances it further and further. The Dems are in a horrible position. If they come out against it, they are through in the primaries, and if they don’t it will haunt them relentlessly in the general election. The next shoe to drop on this story is George Soros. He is behind this group and most far left groups. He is a dangerous man and he is trying to buy the next election, and unless, we stop him, he will and then he will have bought the Democratic Party which will be in control of everything. Here is how Bill O’Reilly saw it…
The real story behind the MoveOn smear attack on General Petraeus is far left financier George Soros. He has given millions to MoveOn and other Internet sites that smear conservatives and traditionalists.
If you want to know the full extent of Soros’ intrusion into the political process, read Investors Business Daily’s editorial today. Go to their Web site. It is downright frightening.
Now the far left billionaire has bought politicians, journalists, an Internet character assassins. He wields tremendous power in this country. So much power that 24 Democratic senators were afraid to condemn MoveOn for its outrageous attack on General Petraeus. Those senators include Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Christopher Dodd, and Harry Reid. Again, those senators would not vote to condemn the MoveOn ad.
Well, when an irresponsible far left outfit succeeds in frightening a quarter of the Senate, you know there’s big trouble in this country. Not only that, some loons are even supporting the attack on Petraeus.
Elements at NBC News, for example, who parrot far left propaganda incessantly, insist the ad is a legitimate form of dissent.
The New York Times is happy to discount the ad more than 60 percent for MoveOn, as we’ve reported. And if you read the far left blogs, they’re thrilled that General Petraeus was smeared.
All those people, of course, are disgraceful. Even if you disagree with the Iraq war, a general decorated for valor fighting on a vicious battle field does not deserve to be smeared by anyone.
The Democratic talking points say that the MoveOn situation is an attempt by people to divert attention away from Iraq. Well, that’s false. Most Americans do not support the war. And that’s fine, but they do support the troops in the field. That is called loyalty.
Once the public fully understands what George Soros is all about and what he is trying to do this story will take on a whole new angle.