Jane Norton's recent internet ad accusing Democrats of a weak anti-terror stance has raised a good many eyebrows recently, including those of veterans who take issue with what they say is fear-based politicking and specious arguments.
The ad in question (viewable below) opens with an urgently ticking clock, and follows with Norton intoning:
"First they tried to close Guantanamo, then they said jihadists had the right to remain silent. Now President Obama has renamed our war on terror the 'overseas contingency operation' CONTINGENCY OPERATION!? The liberals in Washington seem to have forgotten..."
[screen suddenly goes black; sound of airliners flown overhead]
"... but we haven't. Let's win the war on terror."
On Tuesday, thirty-one military veterans signed a petition for the campaign to remove the ad, which they argue is rife with "extreme, untrue and dangerous rhetoric."
In a recent HuffPost article, Jonny Karpuk, a West Point graduate and veteran of both the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, reamed Norton for falling back on the stale "liberals can't do security" argument. Karpuk particularly singles out Norton's endorsement of the Bush administration's foreign policy--policies which, he argues, are responsible for precisely the failures highlighted in Norton's ad.
Commenting on the negative response from veterans, Norton campaign spokeswoman Cinamon Watson told the Denver Post, "The liberals in Washington want to sweep the threat under the rug, rename it, pretend it's in a far away place. Jane Norton won't let that happen. The advertisement is not coming down"
WATCH: