Democrats' troops as victims message backfires

Washington Times:

House Democrats released a new campaign video that includes footage of U.S. flag-draped coffins from the Iraq war, prompting Republicans to call the ad a disgrace and to say that the Democrats should apologize.
"The fact that they are using this as a way to somehow raise money is more than disturbing," said Rep. K. Michael Conaway, Texas Republican and member of the House Armed Services Committee. "A huge apology to the troops and their families is owed by everyone involved in this travesty."
Democrats defended the video, titled "America Needs a New Direction," saying Republicans have previously exploited images of the September 11 terrorist attacks for campaign purposes. The Democrats' ad also contains footage of Hurricane Katrina victims.
However, some Democrats have criticized the ad. In a letter yesterday to Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) Chairman Rahm Emanuel of Illinois, Rep. John M. Spratt Jr. of South Carolina denounced the ad's imagery.
"I strongly recommend that you pull this ad and delete both these clips before running it again," Mr. Spratt wrote. "I will be speaking to you further to emphasize my sentiments about this ad, but I urge you to pull the ad immediately."
Talk radio host Tammy Bruce, a Democrat, said the ad is "a reflection of the party's empty leadership."
"We can't deny that our soldiers have died," Ms. Bruce said in a telephone interview. "But the ad is an insult to the American people. It's contemptuous and manipulative."
Other Democrats denied the video is a fundraising pitch, even though it asks for the support of Democratic voters and is featured on the DCCC Web site.

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What the ad does is tell the world what the Democrat party is about when it comes to defending this country, they want to cut and run and they are willing to use the images of the remains of people who clearly disagree with them to accomplish tht objective. It is cowardly and disgusting. The brave men who have fought for this country deserve better than to become props for an anti war puke message.

A Washington Times Editorial adds:

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But why even show coffins in the first place? To hide the lack of any real message except anti-Bushism. As National Review's Jim Geraghty put it colorfully: "[T]he ad says jack squat about what Democratic legislators would do differently in Iraq, probably because they couldn't get a consensus in their caucus if their political lives depended on it." His conclusion: "Democrats are aiming to turn this year's election into a referendum, not a choice between two options -- up or down on Bush, not 'yes, I prefer the Democratic agenda.'" Of course not. There is no such agenda.

However, they do want to lose in Iraq. They are in fact desperate to lose in Iraq. They are willing to hand Osama bin Laden an undeserved victory in order to lose in Iraq. They just can't seem to articulate how they want to lose in Iraq. There should be no doublt that the messge of this ad is that they want to lose the war in Iraq.