Conservative Campaign Ad Features Reagan

Wed Jun 16, 8:42 AM ET


By LIZ SIDOTI, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - Days after Ronald Reagan (news - web sites) was
laid to rest, a conservative interest group on Tuesday
unveiled a campaign ad that aligns him with President Bush
(news - web sites) and criticizes Democratic presidential
candidate John Kerry (news - web sites).


AFP
Slideshow: Former President Ronald Reagan Dies at 93


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The Club for Growth's ad, which is to begin airing
Wednesday, portrays both Republican presidents as leaders —
Reagan on communism and Bush on terrorism, while claiming
Kerry was "wrong then, wrong now" on national security.

The ad shows Kerry, a Vietnam veteran, testifying to
Congress in 1971 that "we cannot fight communism all over
the world and I think we should have learned that lesson by
now."

Former President Reagan is then seen at the Berlin Wall in
1987, saying "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall." That's
followed by Bush telling rescue workers at the World Trade
Center after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks: "I can
hear you, the rest of the world hears you, and the people
who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon."

The Reagan family's spokeswoman said Tuesday that permission
is needed for anyone to use Reagan's likeness in an ad
because doing so implies that he endorsed one candidate over
another.

"No one has requested the permission to use his image in an
ad, nor would we feel it appropriate to give such permission
at this juncture," Joanne Drake said. "We protect his image
very carefully, particularly as it relates to politics."

The Club for Growth will spend $500,000 over a week, a
moderate amount, to run the ad on national cable networks
and in media markets in the contested states of Michigan,
Ohio and Wisconsin.

Reagan died June 5 after a 10-year struggle with Alzheimer's
disease (news - web sites). He was 93. The nation ended a
week of mourning last Friday with a national funeral in
Washington and his burial at his presidential library in
California.

Kerry campaign spokesman Chad Clanton criticized the use of
Reagan. "It's pretty sad that less than a week after America
said farewell to President Reagan, George W. Bush's
supporters are politicizing it," Clanton said.

Steve Moore, the group's president, defended the timing of
the ad, saying it was intentional because the public had
been reminded for days about "Reagan's philosophy of peace
through strength."

"We wanted to draw on how similar Bush and Reagan have been
in terms of fighting evil," Moore said.

He said the group wrote a letter to Reagan's widow, Nancy,
informing her of the ad.

___

On the Net:

Club for Growth: http://www.clubforgrowth.com

Add script
Visual Audio


Footage of John Kerry’s Congressional testimony. On screen:
“John Kerry 1971”


Footage of Ronald Reagan at the Berlin Wall. On screen:
“Ronald Reagan 1987”

Footage of George W. Bush at World Trade Center site. On
screen: “George W. Bush 2001”

Footage of the Berlin Wall and statue of Saddam Hussein
coming down. On screen: “Leadership Makes a World of
Difference.”

Back to footage of Kerry’s Vietnam testimony.

On screen: “John Kerry: Wrong Then, Wrong Now”





Kerry: “WE CANNOT FIGHT COMMUNISM ALL OVER THE WORLD, AND I
THINK WE SHOULD HAVE LEARNED THAT LESSON BY NOW.”

Reagan: “MR. GORBACHEV, TEAR DOWN THIS WALL.”

Bush: “I CAN HEAR YOU, THE REST OF THE WORLD HEARS YOU, AND
THE PEOPLE WHO KNOCKED THESE BUILDINGS DOWN WILL HEAR ALL OF
US SOON.”


Kerry: “WE CANNOT FIGHT COMMUNISM ALL OVER THE WORLd