Watchdog group: Nothing 'strictly false' in DeLay ad

[Judi Lynn]

Jan. 14, 2006, 1:51AM
Watchdog group: Nothing 'strictly false' in DeLay ad
Review cites some ambiguities in spot rejected by TV stations


By SAMANTHA LEVINE
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON - A nonpartisan organization that reviews political ads for accuracy said Friday that a controversial commercial rejected by Houston TV stations after being labeled false by Rep. Tom DeLay's campaign is vaguely worded but contains nothing definitively false.

"We find that DeLay's lawyer mischaracterized what the ad said, and that the ad contains nothing that is strictly false," said Factcheck.org, a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania. "The worst we can say of the ad is that its ambiguous wording" could mislead viewers about the details of DeLay's interactions with former lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who has pleaded guilty to corruption charges and is cooperating with a federal investigation of lawmakers and their aides.

The review came after a lawyer for DeLay's re-election campaign, Don McGahn, this week contacted four Houston television stations that had sold airtime for the ad. McGahn called the spot "reckless, malicious and false" and hinted that the stations could face legal trouble if they ran it. They didn't.

Public urged to demand ad
The 30-second ad, designed to raise doubts about the Sugar Land Republican's ethics, was created by the liberal groups Public Campaign Action Fund and Campaign for America's Future. It was scheduled to air Wednesday and run for a week.
(snip/...)

http://chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/3586715.html
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[sabra]

1. kick

:kick:

[lovuian]

2. Watchdog group: Nothing 'strictly false' in DeLay ad

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/politics/3586715.html

WASHINGTON - A nonpartisan organization that reviews political ads for accuracy said Friday that a controversial commercial rejected by Houston TV stations after being labeled false by Rep. Tom DeLay's campaign is vaguely worded but contains nothing definitively false.

"We find that DeLay's lawyer mischaracterized what the ad said, and that the ad contains nothing that is strictly false," said Factcheck.org, a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania. "The worst we can say of the ad is that its ambiguous wording" could mislead viewers about the details of DeLay's interactions with former lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who has pleaded guilty to corruption charges and is cooperating with a federal investigation of lawmakers and their aides.

The review came after a lawyer for DeLay's re-election campaign, Don McGahn, this week contacted four Houston television stations that had sold airtime for the ad. McGahn called the spot "reckless, malicious and false" and hinted that the stations could face legal trouble if they ran it. They didn't.

more...

Ya know for a guy up for money laundering ... he snaps his fingers and the TV stops in their tracks!!!

[f-bush]

3. Stick it to old Tom

Hammer the hammer!