Bush campaign's use of 9/ 11 images in his re-election commercials

[joeokw]

I am at a loss of why people would object to the use of these images. I thought we changed as a nation after that day. I thought we will never forget how we supported the president at that time. We lost 8 people in our parish on that day... Two boys on mY Ds's Little league team is missing a father. I am wondering if people forgot what happened on that September day.

 

[Flyfly_Eclipse]

I'm beginning to wonder the same thing.

 

[monarchsfan16]

I wonder daily if people forgot that day and it makes me angry. President Bush has every right to use those images; I don't care what John Kerry and people say, Bush has held our nation together as best as anyone could have, considering what happened. All the time I see bumper stickers, pins, keychains, even greeting cards and stamps saying "never forget", but I think most people have and most people need a reminder. Some of us are reminded of it by waking up every morning, and by the conversations that we have at home, but those who didn't lose family have forgotten, or have brushed it aside as a day of the past. Bush should use those ads; they bring across a point.

 

[Disfan1]

I agree! I am SO glad Bush was President that day. He was a source of comfort to me & my family even though we didn't lose anyone. I used to stop what I was doing to listen to his speeches. 9/11 was the defining moment of his term & I don't see a problem with him referring to it.

 

[Otto's Doll]

Originally posted by Disfan1
I agree! I am SO glad Bush was President that day. He was a source of comfort to me & my family even though we didn't lose anyone. I used to stop what I was doing to listen to his speeches. 9/11 was the defining moment of his term & I don't see a problem with him referring to it.

I absolutely agree!

 

[adamak]

I'm kinda offended. Not extremely, but I think it's bad taste. Nobody is forgetting 911. Nobody. So why should Bush put it in an ad and say "remember what I did"? Campaign ads are still ads, they're to sell products, get money. Using 911 to sell things make me uncomfortable. Imagine, what if Guilani put WTC footage on a TV ad to sell his leadership book?

Not to mention, those image reminds me personally that I don't feel safer.

 

[Grog]

So why should Bush put it in an ad and say "remember what I did"?

Because if he didn't, the same people who are crying foul right now would be saying he's insensitive to what happened that day for not bring it up. Also, it's not like he is the first to do this. FDR ran in 1944 on a "look at my leadership during the war" campaign. But that was probably OK since he was a Democrat.

 

[JDY]

It's in bad taste. Showing a group of firefighters carrying the coffin of their dead comrade simply to win an election is inexcusable. I guess the only good thing that has come from this is that by using the images he's admitting that that horrible day happened on his watch and he is culpable for it.

 

[faithinkarma]

Personally I believe it is a risky thing to do.

If it is true that the people who will vote for Kerry are doing so because they hate President Bush, it is unlikely such ads will change any minds.

On the other hand, some of his supporters may just find it offensive.

 

[Boo'sMom]

I think too many people have forgotten about those images. I don't see it as exploitation at all. I'm thankful that George Bush was and is our President.

 

[GoldenGate]

At the same time he is expoiting these images, he is refusing to testify under oath before the full 9/11 commission.

Of course he is exploiting them, what the heck else does he have to run on?

http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2004/03/05/open_letter/index.html

 

[tiggersmom2]

YES!!! Bush most definately has a right to use these images. He was here for our country, he did what was right for this country! People like Gore and Kerry would have been begging the terrorist to please not do this again. They would have been trying to figure out what WE had done to cause this.

 

[CBRorBust]

President Bush has every right to use those images; I don't care what John Kerry and people say, Bush has held our nation together as best as anyone could have, considering what happened.

I agree 100%! And I am darn proud he's a Texan!

 

[Grog]

he's admitting that that horrible day happened on his watch and he is culpable for it.

Absolutely amazing. Those attacks were not done on a whim. They took years to plan. Bush had been president for nine months at the time. There's enough blame for both his and the prior administration. Some people may find it offensive that he is using 9/11 in his re-election campaign, but I think it's even more offensive when people twist the facts simply because they don't like who is in office.

 

[tiggersmom2]

*clap*clap*clap*
Grog, you are so right!!! (I'm trying to give you a standing ovation! )

 

[cati]

Grog, I could not have said it better. Thank you.

I am so glad President Bush is our President and was our President on that terrible day.

 

[bizybea]

I'm not sure how I feel about this, I haven't seen the ads, but how is it any different from Kerry using his experience during the Vietnam war in his ads?

 

[KarenC]

Originally posted by tiggersmom2
YES!!! Bush most definately has a right to use these images. He was here for our country, he did what was right for this country! People like Gore and Kerry would have been begging the terrorist to please not do this again. They would have been trying to figure out what WE had done to cause this.

I was profoundly affected by the events of September 11. We lost our New York office and several people I have worked with through the years died that day. My uncle was a key member of the team that brought the WTC to fruition. I'd briefly considered moving to New York to work for Cantor Fitzgerald during my job search that ended just a year before the tragedy. While I did not suffer the agony of nearly 3,000 families, it really bothered me to think that those people who were targeted had jobs just like mine. I don't need to see the images on television to be reminded of what happened to us that day. And what happened, happened to all of us, not just the half of the country who voted for George Bush.

Before the 2000 election, Gore was ridiculed because he focused on the possibility of a terrorist attack on our soil. Republicans in Congress thought he was some kind of Chicken Little. Congress turned down a Clinton proposal to address terrorism. After OBL declared war on America, Bill Clinton's daily briefing always contained reference to the latest intelligence on al qaeda. When Sandy Berger handed over the national security files to Condaleeza Rice, he told her that the Bush administration would spend more time worrying about al qaeda than anything else.

After Bush took office, the first mention of al qaeda in his daily briefing was in August, when the "chatter" suggested a big attack. I can't help but wonder if the President was interested in what bin laden was up to, if memos and concerns about middle eastern men enrolled in flight schools coming out of Phoenix, or pilots only wanting to learn to fly, not take off or land, wouldn't have gotten more attention.

There's a reason Dennis Hastert and the White House don't want the findings of the September 11 commission to come out close to the election. If they're concerned that the findings won't reflect well on President Bush, using images of that horrible day is a pretty risky move.

 

[suzannen]

Originally posted by GoldenGate
At the same time he is expoiting these images, he is refusing to testify under oath before the full 9/11 commission.

This is exactly why the victims' families are upset. He has fought them and refused to release information regarding this commission. They feel extremely exploited for political purposes. I don't think any of us who have not been in their shoes have the right to criticize them for their feelings. I will give them the benefit of the doubt because they have suffered enough. If they feel so hurt by it, then a substitute ad should be used.

Meanwhile, for most New Yorkers, Bush did not represent us on that day or for several days after. He was flying around out of communication. It was Rudy Guiliani who stepped up to the plate. If the were ads for him, they might feel differently.

 

[tiggersmom2]

KaranC,
If you insist on pointing fingers......The Carter administration brought down the CIA. The CIA was downgraded to a large degree in this era and if we had had an adequate one maybe 9/11 would not have happened. All I can say is, I am glad Bush was in office when it did happen because he did what was right for our country.