Bush campaign relying on media to disseminate this trash. And, they are, of course, doing Bush's dirty work, for him.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A64485-2004Mar16.htmlThe ad features pictures of soldiers -- who are either actors or appear in stock footage -- while a narrator says that Kerry voted in October 2002 for military action in Iraq but "later voted against funding for soldiers." Over the sound of a Senate clerk calling "Mr. Kerry," the ad says: "No body armor for troops in combat. No higher combat pay. No to better health care for reservists and their families. No -- wrong on defense."
Kerry spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter called the ad "ridiculous" and ticked off other votes in which the senator has supported the military.
She said Kerry cast a "protest vote" against the $87 billion request in October, adding:
"If Bush is so concerned about the troops, why did he send them to war without the equipment they needed, why did he mislead the nation about the threat of weapons of mass destruction and why has he opposed supporting increased troop pay?" The spot is airing
only in West Virginia, where Kerry addressed veterans yesterday, and while Bush aides said it could receive wider airing,
they appear to be counting on media coverage to reach a national audience.Kerry has voted for military pay raises, most recently in 2002, and for a large increase in defense spending that year.
A Pentagon budget request last year opposed an extension of combat pay for soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, although the
White House quickly reversed that stance, and the
administration decided to deny health benefits to an estimated 164,000 veterans because their ailments are not service-related.