It's like showing up at a Bush rally but not being allowed in. It's just the phone version of it.
The new ads are deadly. They're meant to be. They're targeting any Republican who dares to walk about from the president's disaster in Iraq. The list is long. I guess Bush figures if he's going down he wants company. However, using soldiers to keep the surge may be the worst thing a commander in chief can do, but it doesn't stop there.
Ari Fleischer is the front man for "Freedom's Watch," just another swiftboating type group meant to do the president's bidding. Many of you know me through my anti swiftboating work in 2006, so when I talk about these types of organizations you can bet I know what I'm talking about.
Check out the number at the end of the ad: 1-877-222-8001. Go on, call it.
As I told my radio listeners earlier today, once you get through something amazing happens. The operator asks you a question. Yes, you're expected to take part in a survey before she puts you through to Congress. But there's a catch. The question asked goes something like this: Do you believe the Iraq war is important to the war on terror? They may have changed the question by now, because we're on to them, but that's what I was asked. If you say no, the operator immediately thanks you but doesn't connect you to Congress. Instead, she asks if you have anything else to say and then basically gets rid of you. They're only allowing people who agree with them through.
Slick.
Dishonest.
Busted.
I hope this backfires on Bush. It's long past time to take a stand and stop the escalation in Iraq.
But you have to say one thing for the Republicans. If you want to know how they win battles and beat Democrats this is a good lesson. When Congress runs astray from White House policy, the president's minions target them. This is a lesson for Reid, but also Pelosi, as Democrats get weak and the Blue Dog Democrats ponder aligning against the country's own interest and our soldiers on Iraq. That's why the Bush dog campaign is so important over at Open Left. It intends to hold wandering Democrats accountable for siding with Bush on Iraq (and FISA).
But when it comes to these new Iraq ads, Democrats in Congress take a lesson, but you better do it quickly. You're already one step behind.