By Jennifer Parker

May 9, 2007 9:12am

Retired Generals Launch Anti-Bush Ad

ABC News’ Jake Tapper Reports: The anti-war veterans group VoteVets.org,  which has been influential with Capitol Hill Democrats, is launching a half-million-dollar TV ad campaign Wednesday on broadcast and cable television to air in selected markets targeting moderate Republicans.

The ad series will feature Major Generals Batiste and Paul Eaton, who will dispute the notion that President Bush listens to commanders on the ground. A third ad will feature retired Gen. Wesley Clark.

The ads are targeted at GOP Senators Susan Collins, R-Maine, John Sununu, R-N.H., John Warner, R-Va., Norm Coleman, R-Minn., and GOP Representatives Mary Bono, R-Calif., Phil English, R-Penn., Randy Kuhl, R-N.Y., Jim Walsh, R-N.Y., Jo Ann Emerson, R-Mo., Tim Johnson, R-Ill., Mike Rogers, R-Mich., Fred Upton, R-Mich., and Mike Castle, R-Del. in their home districts.

To promote the ads, a group of Iraq veterans will do a six-state media fly-around tour visiting New Hampshire, Maine, New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Minnesota.
Eaton will be in Seattle and Batiste in Rochester.

The first ad is simple and features Maj. Gen. John Batiste (Ret.), former commanding general, first infantry division in Iraq.

A sample ad to air in Maine, against Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine goes like this:

A clip of President George W. Bush says, "I have always said that I will listen to the requests of our commanders on the ground."

Then, Maj. Gen. John Batiste says, "Mr. President, you did not listen. You continue to pursue a failed strategy that is breaking our great Army and Marine Corps. I left the Army in protest in order to speak out. Mr. President, you have placed our nation in peril. Our only hope is that Congress will act now to protect our fighting men and women. Senator Collins, protect America, not George Bush."

The national version of the ad is the exact same except the last line is gone and a screen comes up saying "Congress Must Act Now to Protect Our Troops."

User Comments

Thank you Sir,
As a 20 year,NCO member of the military (Iraq Invasion 2003, again 2008?), It is heartening to see that not all Senior leadership are blind followers and yes men. The troops are coming around and though we do our duty it is gallows humor that we are now Halibuton security/logists Inc.

Posted by: chris ritter | May 9, 2007, 10:11 am 10:11 am

Hmmm. The ads feature Wesley Clark. Isn’t he the same guy that Michael Moore supported in the 2004 Democrat primaries? That should tell us something about the integrity of these attacks ads.

Posted by: Mike Garcia | May 9, 2007, 10:13 am 10:13 am

Thank you Mike for pointing out that these Generals are just cut and run liars and not the men of back bone like George “AWOL” Bush and Dick “5 Deferments because I had something more important to do” Cheney. Isn’t it interesting that Michael Moore seems to be more of a visionary than our CIC.

Posted by: Gomer Pile | May 9, 2007, 10:20 am 10:20 am

Each and every general that has spoken out against the war or Bush’s desires has been fired or forced to resign.
Bush could care less about what they ahd to say…hes been firing all the people that would tell him no ALL his life.

Posted by: bobh | May 9, 2007, 10:21 am 10:21 am

Yea, it is tooo bad that they did have the baxxxxs to say that when on active duty. they were yes men themselves because generals can retire upon request. if they did not believe in what they were doing, they should have kicked out rather than support Bush. that would have been a much stronger statement if a lot of generals were requesting retirement instead of supporting bush on the “war.”

Posted by: Stan C. | May 9, 2007, 10:21 am 10:21 am

Thank goodness Generals are stepping up to the plate to reveal the interaction between Bush and the leadership of the armed forces. Bush has NEVER been to war; his dad helped him dodge the issue with the National Guard in Texas; why the hell Bush knows anything about war (or anything else except his extreme religeous views) is beyond me. Impeach the moron.
FEH

Posted by: FEH | May 9, 2007, 10:24 am 10:24 am

Mr. Garcia,
Whether Michael Moore, Rush Limbaugh, or anyone else supports or attacks a particular person or action has no bearing on the integrity of that person or action. I feel one of the problems in our country right now is that people are not thinking for themselves, but are relying on pundits to tell them what to think. Ad hominem attacks have replace true political discourse.

Posted by: Paul Oliver | May 9, 2007, 10:25 am 10:25 am

I’ll listen to Baptiste, he has always been an honest broker of information.

Posted by: BenMurphyNYC | May 9, 2007, 10:27 am 10:27 am

Are seriously questioning the integrity of generals who have been on the ground in Iraq because one of them has a supporter you dont like? You need to support ALL the troops, even those (especially those) who do not support the president and are willing to fight his war anyway. How shallow to question the integrity of three high-ranking Iraq war heroes just because of an idiot like Moore. Talk about not supporting the troops….

Posted by: Cat | May 9, 2007, 10:28 am 10:28 am

Well, its about bloody time. We as civilians have been seeking out to defend these brave souls. So that their lives are not thrown away or used as pawns. I for one am tired of watching the president get up to speak in front of our troops who he has no real regard for. Then taking the opportunity to use them and our flag as a back drop. It is time our troops speak up and stop being used by this man. I do though respect the reasons they can not do it in uniform.

Posted by: Steve | May 9, 2007, 10:37 am 10:37 am

So if Michael Moore supports someone that negates what they KNOW about military science??? Gen. Clark knows what he knows. That Michael Moore, or anyone else is smart enough to listen to him is not his “fault”. Why do we continue to believe the liar in the Whitehouse instead of Generals whose life and career was about effective use of the military force under their command? Write down a list of all the lies General Clark or General Baptiste have used to further their personal agenda. Now do the same for George Bush. Then, based on what you see in front of you, make your decision who is telling the truth about what is actually going on in Iraq. George Bush has a history of not listening. Do your homework before damning military career professionals who do listen and speak out!

Posted by: AbbieX | May 9, 2007, 10:40 am 10:40 am

This ought to sink the republican ship once and for all…pallets of cash flown into the killing fields where our soldiers lay dead…General Betrayus? no comment…if there is water in hell it has to be BLACKWATER…

Posted by: frodaddy | May 9, 2007, 10:41 am 10:41 am

I am very disappointed by this. To be frank, if you didn’t want to go to war why did you join a military branch? Granted some were in the military before the war began but a lot joined after the war started. And all we hear is their family members complain after they are killed because they died in this war. Every person who signed on that line to join any military branch knew what they were doing and knew that at some point they might have to put their training to use. So I don’t want to hear it!

Posted by: Beka | May 9, 2007, 10:41 am 10:41 am

I find the comments of the generals interesting, but cannot help but question their motives and sincerity when one of them is a former Democratic Presidential Candidate. That is not to say they don’t have a valid point, but the article seems to suggest they are all tied to the Democratic party. Unfortunately, every issue in the country, particularly the war and global warming, is centered on partisan politics. You can’t get a straight story from either side, nor from the media outlets that represent those sides. Those of you who think either party is “the way, the truth and the light” are just as gullible as I was for many years. The people are fed nothing but propaganda from both sides. It would be so nice to have a media outlet that really just reports the news without spin or opinion.

Posted by: Ricky Sims | May 9, 2007, 10:47 am 10:47 am

People don’t complain of going to war when they believe in the cause. This war is based on half truths and lies. Therefore it is a illegal and pointless.

Posted by: Jim | May 9, 2007, 10:48 am 10:48 am

The Generals are right to speak out against the failed Iraq war. Had we listened to them in the beginning, we would have already won the Iraq war. George Bush is about to go down as the worst war-time President in history.

Posted by: Sam | May 9, 2007, 10:50 am 10:50 am

It is obvious that Stan C. has never been in the military or he would know that criticizing the chain of command while wearing the uniform may subject you to prosecution under the military code of justice. There was no reason to go to war in Iraq when we did. Saddam represented no immediate threat to the USA. We had inspecters crawling all over the country. He couldn’t sneeze without us knowing it. Old six-gun toting George wanted to show the world that he was no one to be messed with. It’s too bad that incompetence isn’t an impeachable offence.

Posted by: Mike | May 9, 2007, 10:51 am 10:51 am

The attack ads come right on schedule: When there is a presidential election up ahead. Unfortunately something else also came on schedule. A few days ago, a group of terrorist thugs tried to break into Ft. Dix and kill as many US soldiers as possible: A small reminder that terrorists, Al Qeada affiliated or not, are still a threat to us. Al Qeada HAS shown that it is in Iraq, not just Shiites and Sunnis involved in a civil war against each other. Al Qeada HAS claimed responsibility for the attack of the Green Zone. These new attack ads by the generals are music to the ears of the terrorists who know it is only a matter of time before the US cuts and runs. Perhaps we SHOULD withdraw our troops and declare America as the enemy, just as these generals suggest. Perhaps the so-called “majority” of Americans need another terrorist attack or two before it finally dawns on them that Al Qeada’s goal is to destroy this country and kill as many Americans as they can.

Posted by: jfm | May 9, 2007, 10:55 am 10:55 am

I volunteered to go to afghanistan for 15 months USAR); Bosnia (1year; Latin America (1 year); Vietnam (2 years) and Cheney had 5 deferments – what a coward !! The active duty Generals can not make negative comments against their leaders IAW USCMJ !! Do notbe hard on the Generals!!

Posted by: James Lundholm | May 9, 2007, 10:57 am 10:57 am

The us government leadership has been anshamble in the past 8 6 years under the bush and chenney leadership. the world hate us, suicide bombing attack have increased dramatically by a war that should have make the us safer according to the Bush inner cirlce and Iraq is a mess…the Bush presidency has already becoming a lame duck…voting a republican like Guiliani, mccain is a no brainer…impeach bush already the guy has done more wrong than right

Posted by: Wil Alexandre | May 9, 2007, 10:58 am 10:58 am

Maybe if Bush and Cheney went to Vietnam,they would know how to run a war..
The do’s and do not’s on why war is waged,then entering the warzone,executing and completing the objective,and getting out of the warzone..
Im not a military scientist but im a salesman,and when i call upon businesses to sell them merchant services,with the option of saving them money included,thats how i go about my business..
Maybe the president and the DC Madame’s guy should too…
Thats just my opinion..

Posted by: David Donaldson | May 9, 2007, 11:01 am 11:01 am

General Schwarzkopf said it best when he said that once retired, a general should never pass up an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.
These generals claim they needed to retire in order they may speak out… not true. They could have retired in protest and done so before the war. It doesn’t take much effort to see something is wrong when you have mass exits running up to an operation (especially something as large as Iraq). The problem is they weren’t allowed to do so while in uniform, and now they’re trying to leverage they’re time in uniform to legitimize they’re comments. There was plenty of time before the invasion for them to speak out, influence planning, etc. Operations of this size do not get planned in a vaccuum nor do they happen overnight.
Before anyone says I don’t know what I’m talking about, I spent 10 years as a Marine with two combat tours in Intel where I was a part of the planning process. Unfortunately, emotion is trumping reason right now and it’s doing so to our national detriment.

Posted by: Brian | May 9, 2007, 11:05 am 11:05 am

The public has more than awakened to the facts on the ground and the mismanagement of this entire Bush fallacy. You now hear story after story of blatant abuse to our military by this administration. Further, more everyday people consider these extensions criminal behavior by these gangsters in DC. They are using the troops as pawns because they have screwed everything up so badly. Look how many individuals have been quiting the wh. Look how many families have spoken out. From Walter Reed, Medical Care, Family Support, Lack of Understanding Military, Gas Prices at 3.20 a gallon, Katrinia and now Kansas. I firmly believe the time is upon us to remove all these gangsters from the white house. This is becoming more embarrassing by the day, not month. Someone in the Congress needs to start the removal of Bush. No person should let this disaster of a killing massacre continue to our troops.
Bush is too immature to leave Iraq.
I trust any Military personnel that is out of the service, not in it. Inside they lie like hell because of orders by Bush.

Posted by: The Cat | May 9, 2007, 11:05 am 11:05 am

Beka: Our military men VOLUNTEERED because they wanted to protect Americans at home because someone needed to do it. You want to condemn dead soldiers because they were following orders, even if they knew the CIC was dead wrong on his strategies? That only makes them greater heros. If you’re looking for someone to blame, look down at President Bush and Cheney who to this day want us “to stay the course” while our brave die. Perhaps a CHANGE of course would be a good idea, and a change of leadership at the top an even better idea. Or do you even vote?

Posted by: Larry | May 9, 2007, 11:08 am 11:08 am

jfm-
LAME….”cut and run” and “A small reminder that terrorists…are still a threat to us”
Can’t you people come up with your own thoughts and words instead of mindlessly repeating what we’ve already heard the prez and VP say thousands of times? Stop with the lame talking points and fear mongering-I’m sooo sick of hearing the same BS over and over and over again. Come up with a new excuse to alleviate your guilt please-we’re not buying those ones anymore. I, for one, refuse to be afraid of Al Qaida and let them control what America does with its money, military and elections. Also, cut and run isn’t even relevant….we have achieved our military victory, Sadaam’s dead, lets come home.

Posted by: Cat | May 9, 2007, 11:09 am 11:09 am

Bush lied, Bush lied, Bush lied wahh hahh hahh, my God already get a life. No proof he lied, none. The statement that we had inspectors on the ground in Irag before the war, more propaganda. If these 3 retired Generals had a problem with the war effort, go directly to Congress and tell all that you know and have seen, then and now. They have a right and duty to the soldiers on the ground to make sure that the truth comes out. There have been a lot of mistakes made in this war, just like every other one the USA has been involved in. That said, these men are not questioning whether we should have gone in or not, but that we should not continue in the same way. They wanted more troops, a lot more and they should have gotten them if they needed them. So you morons who keep panting about, “oh we’ve got Bush now.” should read their comments. By the way, it was the liberal media that coioned this article isn’t it? What’s the title of it again? Oh yeah, “Retired Generals Launch Anti-Bush Ad” that says it all.

Posted by: Adam | May 9, 2007, 11:28 am 11:28 am

Cat – why do you think so many Americans think Bush lied? Give an explaination.
I predict that within a couple of years after Bush leaves the White House, there will be all kinds of books out telling exactly what happened during the build-up to the Iraq war. And I further predict that Dick Cheney’s name will be mentioned often in those books. Maybe we will finally know the truth – and wheather or not Bush lied. Personally, I am not sure he lied, but think he just repeated what he was told to say – and really did not have that much input into the serious decision of getting us into this war. Intellectual curiousity is not one of his strengths.

Posted by: sunny | May 9, 2007, 2:35 pm 2:35 pm

Arguments aside, how many are willing to accept 80-100 combat deaths, twice that in wounded and 2000+ Iraqi dead PER month for the forseeable future? And for what? This ADM. seems willing but polls say that the country is not. Support the troops and let them know that there is a timetable for them to come home, that there IS a light at the end of the tunnel.
How quickly we forget the lessons of history.
In Iraq we have the biggest wellfare case ever which is interesting given that certain people were trying to eliminate Welfare and did set a timetable for people to be dropped from it.
In 08, people are going to vote for the person that will get us out and will concentrate on the real terrorists, the ones we should have gotten in 03. The trouble now is that they have tripled in number because of what has happened in Iraq.

Posted by: AL | May 9, 2007, 3:51 pm 3:51 pm

I find these ads pointless. As a former US Army member, I have to question a leader who had to resign to speakk out, a true leader, with true grit would have fought from the inside to make change. This guy is a coward. Bush is willing to be unpopular in order to protect America. The US public has forgotten all about the 9/11, they could care less about the images of bodies being burned alive at the Pentagon and New York. The terroists are in Iraq, the Democrats say that the Republicans say that, however the President is the only one who is standing up to them. The hero of the left is Harry Truman, old give em hell Harry, well Truman had an approval rating of 22%, he also had us in a very unpopular war, Korean War, and left office shamed, now the left loves him, say he was the best Democratic President and we need another Harry Truman. Get with it, war is unpopular, changing the middle east is hard, Bush is doing these things not for himself, but for the future of our Country. We will look back in 50 years and say, boy I am glad we had a President Bush, I can not wait to shove it down thier liberal throats!

Posted by: Matt | May 10, 2007, 9:18 am 9:18 am

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