BBC News: Is political advertising in the US getting dirty?

[emad]

Snip:
US President George Bush has criticised a TV commercial that accused Democrat rival John Kerry of inflating his Vietnam War record.
President Bush said Senator Kerry served "admirably" and called for attacks by external campaign groups to be banned.

See discussion:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/talking_point/3594070.stm

[Feanorcurufinwe]

1. If you are interested in foreign coverage,

you might be interested in a translation of a French TV report on the issue I posted yesterday:

Translation: IN the presidential campaign in the USA, anything goes, now John Kerry is being attacked for his military past.* A TV spot accuses Kerry of making up or exaggerating his heroic acts in Vietnam. Now the Bush-backed veterans are attacking John Kerry's pacifism. Kerry testified before the Senate about US atrocities in Vietnam. The veterans in Bush's ads accuse Kerry of having 'betrayed' his fellow soldiers. But Kerry was only repeating reports from other veterans. The strategy is to keep the news channels occupied. The people who accused Kerry of lying say they stand by what they said - though they have no proof whatsoever. Ex Senator Bob Dole has jumped on the bandwagon. John Kerry has counterattacked with confirmation from an editor who was present with him in Vietnam, and who this weekend confirmed his heroic acts in combat. The Democrats have air TV spots of their own - the message: George Bush should denounce these ads and talk about the real issues. But Kerry can blame himself, he has used his veteran past to burnish his image. But now it has turned against him and he wants the Republican to change the subject.


Interestingly, the English subtitles for what I translated as anything goes, now John Kerry is being attacked for his military past said: no trick seems too dirty for George Bush

[emad]

3. THanks!

xx

[sui generis]

2. has BBC been asleep for the past century?

Nothing like resurrected news when there is no other news. Politics and political advertising has never been clean, and that is documented all the way back to candidates running for office in republican Rome in 300 BC.

[ClassWarrior]

4. Getting??!