Gore Campaign Calls 'RAT' Ad 'Bizarre'
— -- Democrats see a subliminal message in a GOP attack ad, a charge George W.Bush calls “ridiculous.”
ABCNEWS.comWASHINGTON, Sept. 12
— Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush says there is nothing underhanded about a
GOP television ad that flashes the word “RATS” on screen for a split second.
In a Republican National Committee ad criticizing Bush’s Democratic opponent, Al Gore, on health care, the word “RATS” appears on screen for a brief moment before the full word “bureaucrats” appears.
“I’ve seen the pictures from the ad,” the vice president told reporters as he campaigned in Ohio today. “I find this a very disappointing development. I’ve never seen anything quite like it. I think the ad speaks for itself.”
But Bush dismissed the notion that the word was put there intentionally, as the Gore campaign has implied. The Texas governor calling the suggestion “one of the more bizarre accusations” he has heard.
“One frame out of 900 is hardly, in my judgment, a major conspiracy,” he said. “We don’t need to play games. What we need is a debate on the issues.”
Nevertheless, his campaign says the ad will be changed.
Ad Man Denies Dirty Tricks
The 30-second spot, which has run in several key states, touts Bush’s plan for adding a prescription drug benefit to Medicare, arguing that seniors would have more control over their health care under Bush’s proposal.
Under the Gore plan, the ad says, drug coverage would be run by bureaucrats.
Words flash on the screen to echo the announcer’s message: “TheGore prescription plan: Bureaucrats decide.”
As the announcer says “Bureaucrats decide,” the word “RATS,”in large capital letters, flashes on and off the screen just as thephrase “Bureaucrats decide,” appears.
