I wouldn’t think a fine upstanding public servant like Ari Fleischer would be capable of lying to the American people, so I guess he must just be confused.
Via ThinkProgress:
Beginning today, Freedom’s Watch, a new right-wing front group for the White House, "will unveil a month-long, $15 million television, radio and grass-roots campaign" to pressure Congress to continue supporting President Bush’s disastrous Iraq strategy. The group, which is "funded by high-profile Republicans who were aides and supporters of President Bush," is headed by a familiar face from the Bush war effort: former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer.
This is a big deal—whether you think this shows renewed signs of life on the part of the Republican Party, or whether you view it as a sign of desperation. Either way, this is a huge ad buy—and this is going to be all over the media in the coming days.
In fact, Politico.com says of Freedom’s Watch:
Freedom's Watch aims to do for the GOP what the MoveOn political action organizations have done for Democrats.
Now, this sounds scary and all, but before we freak out, I suggest everyone take a peek at the actual commercials Fleischer’s group is running. They’re awful. The manner in which Freedom’s Watch confuses 9/11 and al Qaeda with Iraq is so egregious as to be laughable. And what’s more important is the tone of the commercials: The clips use horribly wounded veterans and family members of those killed in action to try and persuade Americans that 9/11 = al Qaeda = Iraq = You’re next. Had these been filmed four years ago, I think people would be more receptive to them. But now, they’re going to be perceived as a total turn-off. They just make Bush Republicans look more disgusting than they already are—and they highlight for the whole world how guys like Ari Fleischer lied us into a war that put those people in the commercials in their current situations.
This—coming from a pasty 40-something who makes chickenhawkish statements like these:
"For people who believe in peace through strength, the cavalry is coming," said Ari Fleischer, a former Bush White House press secretary who is helping to head Freedom's Watch.
But then, I would expect no less from Fleischer, another Washington, D.C. pencil pusher who likens himself to be a real "warrior"—even though he’s the type of guy who would (and did) reveal the identity of a CIA officer to reporters before he’d ever serve in the military.
So without further adieu, take a look at some of these Freedom’s Watch commercials and see if Fleischer’s convolution of Iraq and 9/11 is enough to make your head explode:
Veteran who lost both legs in Iraq:
Widow who lost uncle on 9/11 and husband in Iraq:
Mother who lost son in Iraq:
And you can watch the other commercial with a paralyzed Iraq veteran here (I couldn't get it to load right).
I hope to God the American people can see through this propaganda.