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MoveOn Defends Ad, Dodges Furor

Posted Sep 13, 07 10:22 PM CDT in US,  Politics 

(Newser) – MoveOn's ad attacking Gen. Petraeus on the war in Iraq may have backfired, igniting a furor that united the GOP and flustered anti-war Democrats, but MoveOn founder Eli Pariser is unapologetic, writes Politico's Ryan Grim. Dems have worked all week to distance themselves from Monday's  full-page Times ad referring to "General Betray Us." But they're not actively denouncing it, either.

That could be attributable to MoveOn’s money-raising  clout. Or it could be because the ad raised the issue of credibility in a way no politician could feel comfortable doing. "Sometimes you have to call a spade a spade, even if it’s a respected general,” says Pariser, pointing out that putting generals on pedestals hasn't always worked in the past. "If folks had challenged Colin Powell on his facts in 2003, we wouldn't be in this situation."

Source Politico

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Senate Majority Leader Sen. Harry Reid of Nev., right, accompanied by Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., left, gestures during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington,...   (Associated Press)
MoveOn ad: General Betray Us?   ((c) scriptingnews)
Gen. David Petraeus speak during a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2007. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)   (Associated Press)
Carly Sheehan, daughter of peace activist Cindy Sheehan, center, listens during an A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition news conference that her mother was speaking at, Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2007 at the National Press...   (Associated Press)
U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker, left, and Gen. David Petraeus, right, take part in a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2007. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)   (Associated Press)
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Iraq war  • Democrats  • David Petraeus  • MoveOn  • Eli Pariser


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