SWIFT REVERSAL - When Will Sen. Clinton And Barack Obama Denounce Attack Ads Similar To Ones They Have Criticized In The Past?

Today, Liberal Third-Party Organizations Announced They Will Spend More Than $20 Million To Oppose Republican Candidates In The 2008 Elections:

Liberal Groups, Including MoveOn.Org And VoteVets.Org, Have Announced They Will Spend Over $20 Million In An Attempt To Defeat Republican Candidates In 2008. "[A] consortium of liberal groups, joined today in a conference call with reporters by John and Elizabeth Edwards ... Leaders of the group -- consisting of the Center for American Progress, USAction, MoveOn.org, the SEIU, VoteVets.org and Americans United for Change -- say it will pour in more than $20 million -- for ads and on-the-ground organization -- to draw links between Iraq and a struggling U.S. economy between now and November." (Domenico Montanaro, "Liberal Group Preview s Tactics," NBC News' "First Read" Blog, firstread.msnbc.msn.com, 1/25/08)

In The Past, Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) And Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) Have Opposed Spending By 527 Organizations And Other Outside Political Groups:

Prior To The 2008 Iowa Democrat Caucuses, Obama Attacked 527s Supporting Former Sen. John Edwards (D-NC) As "Negative And Even Deceptive ... Paid For By Huge, Unregulated Contributions From Special Interests." Obama: "Right now groups supporting Hillary Clinton and John Edwards are flooding Iowa and the other early states with millions of dollars in paid ads, phone calls, and mailings. Some of it is negative and even deceptive, and a lot of it is paid for by huge, unregulated contributions from special interests. Taking on these groups isn't just a matter of setting the record straight about me or my positions. It's about proving that a new kind of campaign - funded by ordinary people who want something better for all of us - can defeat the same tired, old political textbook that so many Americans just don't trust anymore." (Mark Halperin, "Memo From Obama Campaign," Time's "The Page" Blog, thepage.time.com, 12/20/07)

"Obama Campaign Manager David Plouffe Has Called Such Groups 'Shadowy, Washington-Based Organizations.'" (Jim Morrill, "Iowa Win Would Bring Edwards Big Bucks," The [Raleigh] News & Observer, 1/3/08)

Sen. Clinton Has Claimed She Would "Have No Problem" Eliminating 527 Organizations That "Spread Inaccurate Falsehoods." CNN's Wolf Blitzer: "Do you agree with the president? He'd like to see all of these so-called 527 advocacy groups that are putting out all these attack ads, attack ads against John Kerry, the Swift Boat ads, attack ads against the president, would you like to see those 527 organizations removed?" Sen. Clinton: "You know, I have no problem with eliminating any group that is misusing their financial position to spread inaccurate falsehoods." (CNN's "Late Edition," 8/29/04)

In 2004, Sen. Clinton Criticized What She Called The "Smear Tactics" Of The Swift Boat Veterans For Truth. Sen. Clinton: "You know ... it's so sad that these smear tactics have been undertaken by this [Swift Boat Veterans for Truth] group ... And this is a tactic not only to impugn the courage and the character of Senator Kerry, which I think is beyond dispute..." (CNN's "Late Edition," 8/29/04)

And Obama Also Criticized The Swift Boat Ads, Calling Them "A Fraud Being Perpetrated On The American People." "In the Senate, he has also criticized 527 groups. After the 2004 election, when the Swift Boat Veterans spent millions to attack Democrat John Kerry's Vietnam War record, Obama called their campaign 'American politics at its worst' and 'a fraud being perpetrated on the American people.'" (Lance Williams, "Obama's Supporters Get Around Money Limit," San Francisco Chronicle, 8/8/07)

Liberal Groups Funding The Ads Have A History Of Controversial Political Advertisements And Extreme Attacks:

"[Gen. David Petraeus] Has Already Come Under Fire From MoveOn.org Which In A Full Page Ad In Monday's New York Times Dubbed Him 'General Betray Us' And Alleged He Was 'Cooking The Books For The White House.'" (Peter Wuetherich, "Petraeus: Battle-Hardened General On The Frontlines In Iraq," Agence France Presse, 9/10/07)

Two Ads Comparing President Bush To Hitler Appeared On MoveOn.Org Voter Fund Website. "One ad begins with Adolf Hitler making speeches, until a picture of President Bush appears. Another also uses Nazi and Bush images, with the tag line: 'What were war crimes in 1945 is foreign policy in 2003.' The videos appeared on the Web site of MoveOn.Org's Voter Fund as part of a nationwide contest for an anti-Bush television ad on which the liberal group plans to spend a considerable sum." (Howard Kurtz, "Anti-Bush Ad Contest Includes Hitler Images," The Washington Post, 1/6/04)

"[MoveOn.Org] Is Responsible For The 'Fire Cheney' TV Ad That Shows The Statue Of Liberty With A Hood Over Its Head." (Bill Holland, "Getting Out The Vote," Billboard, 7/3/04)

VoteVets.Org Founder Jon Soltz Called President Bush And Vice President Cheney "Draft Dodgers" And Also Accused Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) Of "Aiding The Enemy." "When Iraq war veteran Jon Soltz accused Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) of 'aiding the enemy,' the Democratic senators gathered around him yesterday did not wince. Nor did Democrats object when Soltz, the chairman of a group called VoteVets.org, called President Bush and Vice President Cheney 'draft dodgers.'" (Lyndsey Layton and Jonathan Weisman, "Veterans Group Speaks Out On War," The Washington Post, 2/8/07)

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