New York —
Members of U.S. President George W. Bush's re-election campaign are defending campaign ads that show images from the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, including wreckage of the World Trade Center.
Some families of the victims of the attacks are angry with Mr. Bush for airing the spots, which they called in poor taste and for the president's political gain.
“With all due respect, I just completely disagree, and I believe the vast majority of the American people will as well,” Karen Hughes, a Bush campaign adviser, told
The Early Show on CBS.
“September 11th was not just a distant tragedy. It's a defining event for the future of our country. ... Obviously, all of us mourn and grieve for the victims of that terrible day, but September 11 fundamentally changed our public policy in many important ways, and I think it's vital that the next president recognize that.”
The first three ads, unveiled Wednesday at campaign headquarters in suburban Washington, will run on broadcast channels in about 80 markets in 18 states, most of which are expected to be critical to the election, and nationwide on select cable networks.
“It's a slap in the face of the murders of 3,000 people,” Monica Gabrielle, whose husband died in the twin towers, told the New York Daily News for its Thursday editions. “It is unconscionable.”
Two of the spots show the destruction at the World Trade Center and include an American flag flying amid the debris. They also feature images of firefighters working through the wreckage.
“It's as sick as people who stole things out of the place,” said Firefighter Tommy Fee of Queens Rescue Squad 270. “The image of firefighters at ground zero should not be used for this stuff, for politics.”
The ads do not mention Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, focusing instead on improving Mr. Bush's image after criticism by Democrats in recent months.
“I would be less offended if he showed a picture of himself in front of the Statue of Liberty,” said Tom Roger, whose daughter perished on American Airlines Flight 11. “But to show the horror of 9/11 in the background, that's just some advertising agency's attempt to grab people by the throat.”
Ms. Hughes said the ads are a tasteful reminder of what the country has been through the last three years.
“I can understand why some Democrats might not want the American people to remember the great leadership and strength the president and first lady Laura Bush brought to our country in the aftermath of that,” she said.
Later in the day, Mr. Bush talked up his economic leadership Thursday, rounding out a California tour that gathered $5-million (U.S.) for his and other Republicans' campaigns and marked the start of more direct criticism of presumptive Democratic nominee John Kerry."The economy is getting stronger," Mr. Bush said from an outdoor stage at a family-owned company, Rain for Rent, an irrigation system business. "One of the reasons why I think we're doing so good here in America is because of the tax relief we passed, is because people have more money in their pockets."
Mr. Bush's positive picture on the economy was designed to counter criticism from Mr. Kerry and other Democrats, who blame the president for job growth that has lagged behind other signs of improvement in the nation's fiscal health.
The Kerry campaign distributed new numbers Thursday showing that the unemployment rate in Bakersfield rose to 13.6 per cent in January from 12.7 per cent in December. Statewide, the jobless rate was 6.1 per cent in January, compared with 5.6 per cent nationally.
"George W. Bush has consistently promised that his tax cuts will deliver jobs but the results are terrible," the Kerry campaign statement said.
