Giuliani ad support Gen Petraeus good investment

NY Daily News:

Rudy Giuliani shelled out $64,575 for a pro-Gen. David Petraeus ad in The New York Times, but it paid big dividends yesterday - in contributions to his Republican presidential campaign.

Aides to Giuliani, who swiftly e-mailed copies of the ad to supporters as part of a fund-raising push, said they reaped "tens of thousands of dollars" in online donations yesterday alone.

"It will have paid for itself by week's end," said one top adviser, predicting the return would top $64,575 by tomorrow.

For Giuliani, the ad flap was the gift that kept on giving, and a clear sign that Giuliani - as when he was mayor - will not hesitate to pick fights with Democratic groups or candidates, especially Hillary Clinton.

It also suggests he's not above using claims of unfair attacks - on himself or others - as a money-raising gambit, already a time-tested tactic in the 2008 campaign.

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Giuliani's bonanza began Monday when the left-leaning MoveOn.org ran a full-page ad in The Times that accused Petraeus of "cooking the books" on Iraq and asked, "General Petraeus or General Betray Us?"

Giuliani pounced, demanding an apology from MoveOn.org for "character assassination" - a charge he extended to Democratic front-runner Clinton on Wednesday after she did not denounce the ad.

At the same time, Giuliani demanded a chance to run a pro-Petraeus ad in The Times at the same $64,575 rate paid by MoveOn.org. The ad ran yesterday, asking pointedly, "Who should America listen to? A decorated soldier's commitment to defending America, or Hillary Clinton's commitment to defending MoveOn.org?"

By day's end, Team Giuliani was already starting Round 2 with its first Web ad, titled "She Changed" - a spot contrasting Clinton's 2002 vote authorizing military force in Iraq to her current opposition to the war.

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Now it appears the spat will continue well into next week - MoveOn.org announced yesterday that it will air $50,000 in TV ads in Iowa starting Wednesday, all criticizing Giuliani for resigning from the Iraq Study Group.

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Republican strategists said regardless of the ads' content, any attack by MoveOn.org - an increasingly vilified group in GOP circles - will only boost Giuliani's standing with primary voters.

"The only thing better for Giuliani would be if Fidel Castro started running ads against him," said Dan Schnur, a GOP consultant in California.

Beyond that, Schnur said Giuliani's campaign had proven that it can move quickly and aggressively to set an agenda, while forcing others to play defense.

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This is what I have always liked about Giuliani and what the Democrats have always hated. Putting them on the defensive knocks them off their game. MoveOn probably had that ad in their bag of tricks for the general election and pulling it out at this time only helps Giuliani and will make it totally ineffective in the general election. The organization will have run two counter productive ads in a row early in the campaign and put themselves on the defensive in a way that will make their support look like a sell out and a pander by the Democrats. I hope he continues to tweak them and Hillary in the coming weeks. The organization has become a hate group that has gotten a free ride by the media which largely agrees with its message. It is time for that free ride to end.

Here is Rudy's latest ad asking Hillary to apologize. It is terrific.