GOP lawmakers cry foul over MoveOn ad

As Washington focused on the testimony of Gen. David Petraeus on Monday, Republicans expressed outrage about an inflammatory ad placed by a liberal activist group about the star witness. 

{mosads}The full-page MoveOn.org ad on page A25 of The New York Times featured a large, black-and-white photograph of Petraeus speaking into a cluster of microphones, under which read, in bold letters: “General Petraeus or General Betray Us?” The ad alleged that the general in charge of U.S. forces in Iraq will play politics with the facts in his testimony.

Republicans were quick to send out statements condemning the ad, and at least two felt compelled to speak out further during yesterday’s hearing.

In an opening statement to the joint hearing of the Armed Services and Foreign Affairs committees, Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), ranking member of Armed Services, scolded the group and dismissed its criticism of the four-star general.
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) held up a copy of the paper and called the ad “deplorable.”

A spokesman for Hunter, Josh Holly, said the lawmaker felt compelled to mention the ad because of its personal nature.
“Mr. Hunter viewed this character assault by MoveOn.org not only as an attack on General Petraeus but as a slap in the face of all military personnel,” Holly said. “There is no way Mr. Hunter could remain silent while a group attacked the patriotism of General Petraeus so publicly.”

A spokeswoman for MoveOn, Nita Chaudhary, said the group challenges GOP members to dispute the facts in the ad rather than criticize the headline, adding that the additional publicity created by the dispute could prompt further debate.

“If it becomes a debate about the facts, it is a good thing,” Chaudhary said.

Ron Christie, a vice president of the Navigators issues-management firm, and a contributor to The Hill’s pundits blog, called such a scenario unlikely and said the ad could backfire for MoveOn due to the personal nature of the attack.

“From a PR prospective, MoveOn achieved their goals, they created buzz and excitement about their ad, but I think it’s a short-lived victory,” Christie said. “[Lawmakers] are going to look at this for what it is, and it will harm those members seeking to withdraw troops.”

A spokesman for Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio), Brian Kennedy, said: “Publicity doesn’t necessarily beget credibility.

“This might be exciting to the radical left, but it is appalling to everyone else,” he said.

 Erick Erickson, editor of the conservative blog Redstate.org, said it is a necessary evil and that despite MoveOn’s reputation, raising its profile only helps the GOP.

“There is a broad group across the heartland already distrustful of The [New York] Times and groups like MoveOn,” he said. “They’ve been pulling away from the GOP, too …  Something like this has the potential to shift these people back to the GOP.”
Erickson also said it could be used as a valuable campaign tool against vulnerable Democrats in conservative districts if a Democrat refuses to condemn the action.