New TV ad features Pat Robertson on Bush and Casulties

[julialnyc]

New TV Ad Features Pat Robertson on Bush and Iraq War Casualties; Spot Shows Bush Out of Touch On Realities of War & Domestic Economy

10/21/2004 4:35:00 PM

To: National Desk, Media and Political Reporters

Contact:  Jessica Smith or Trevor Fitzgibbon, 202-822-5200,           both of Fenton Communications,

WASHINGTON, Oct. 21 U.S. Newswire -- On Wednesday, political  preacher Pat Robertson told CNN's Paula Zahn that he had warned  his friend President Bush that there would be resistance to the  U.S. invasion and casualties, but Bush told him: "Oh, no, we're  not going to have any casualties."

Tomorrow, MoveOn PAC begins running a 30-second television ad  featuring the Rev. Robertson's statement that he "warned him  about this war...I was trying to say, 'Mr. President, you had  better prepare the American people for casualties."  So far more  than 1,100 American troops have been killed and another 8,000  wounded in Iraq.

"Pat Robertson's revealing account of his pre-war conversation  with George Bush shows just how out-of-touch with reality the  President is," stated Eli Pariser, Executive Director of MoveOn  PAC.

The new ad will run nationwide on CNN at a total cost of  $100K. The ad can be viewed on the Internet at www.moveonpac.org.

http://tinyurl.com/4sd9s

[Pirate Smile]

1. Thank God.

[benburch]

3. Ironic choice of words...

[northernsoul]

8. well, the lord does move in mysterious ways...

Assuming a God exists, imagine the delicious irony of such a diety using deluded fundamentalists who claim to only be working on such a God's behalf to take down an evil man whom the deluded fundies believe to be doing God's work.

Reminds me of the bumpersticker I saw once: GOD IS COMING AND SHE IS PISSED!

[whistle]

2. I'm not getting this, is Pat Robertson endorsing John Kerry then?

[aden_nak]

5. Pat still supports Bush, says God is with him.

Why he brings this up. . . well, Robertson is completely insane, so why should there be reason or logic behind his motives?

[TrogL]

19. He's got his eye on 2012

Robertson plays a loooooooooooooooooooooooooong game.

[whistle]

24. 2012 Pat Robertson will be 83 years old, he'll never run for....

...president. Perhaps he wants to be appointed faith based Pope of the First Evangelical Church of the United States.

[grumpy old fart]

11. nope

That would be too reality based for poor Pat. He thinks George is touched by God....a rather mixed up God it seems though, as He told Pat the war would be a mess and Chimp that it would all be great.....

[blondeatlast]

21. Robertson was actually trying to portray Bush as someone whose

unswerving faith would guarantee victory, but it went badly awry. It makes Bush look just completely out of touch with even the faintest touch of reality.

[realFedUp]

4. Bush himself is Kerry's best advertising tool.

Ya can't make up stuff like that...

[calimary]

6. Well, so much for them trying to bury the Pat Robertson story...

Cool! They let the story wither on the vine, but it still comes back to punch 'em in the nose!

[Beetwasher]

7. I'd Prefer Wider Distribution For This Ad Than Just CNN

They should run it during the World Series, among other places...CNN's ratings are pretty horrible...They should also do a shitload of local buys in swing states during the local news, rates are cheaper and you'll get more bang for your buck...

[juliagoolia]

17. they should run it in military towns

and large military retirment areas

[blondeatlast]

22. Give, children, give...

That's what it's all about, ya know.

[sampsonblk]

9. This should be running on FOX "News" during O'Reilly and Hannity

Every dm night till it has an effect.

[grumpy old fart]

13. too reality based for FOX

The ad is far too reality based for the Fox viewers....They still believe Saddam attacked the towers....

[DemocracyInaction]

10. And the Lord raiseth him up on the back of preachermen and the Lord

naileth him to a cross made by the preachermen.........who says God doesn't have a nifty sense of humor.

[blondeatlast]

23. The best, the absolute best...even better than George Carlin's! nt

[bush equals idiot]

12. HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORAY !!!!!

I couldn't believe they would let this slip away.

My contribution is on the way moveon. Please join me, this can be their worst nightmare all the way to election day. WE HAVE TO KEEP THIS ON THE AIR.

:bounce: :beer: :kick:

[npincus]

14. saw ad- would've preferred if they'd used the clip of Robertson speaking

to Paula Zahn. That would have added the dimension of Robertson's words vs. Bush's, and would have greater impact on the evangelicals watching.

But still, glad to see it and hope it gets WIDE distribution.

[grumpy old fart]

15. YES!! Need the Pics

they need the pics, otherwise the spinners will claim we are twisting words, and should also run the Hardball clip from June when Robertson repeated essentially the same story....Robertson saying this two times, in living color, might actually break through the fundie fog......

[life_long_dem]

16. Maybe they couldn't get permission to use

the footage. We all know CNN wouldn't want to add to the fire.

[bush equals idiot]

26. They can't deny it

because that would force CNN to play their own tape of the Zahn show to show that it is true. Same with every other talking airhead. They would have a duty to either show it's not supported by the facts. Or it is. Out comes the video with Robertson.

Just like the Bin Laden "exaggeration". It will be like poison ivy they can't get rid of.

[tedoll78]

18. Wow. It drives a fundie voter wedge AND appeals to swing voters!

Me likey!

[Cha]

20. Bless Moveonpac!

That was Great! Gettin' the truth out that cnn won't!

Have you seen this moveon.org ad?

https://www.moveonpac.org/donate/doesntgetit.html

[MallRat]

25. YESSSSSSSSS!!!

This is like GOLD. I can imagine a number of Robertson's followers might choose to stay home on Election Day, given this revelation.

-MR

[bush equals idiot]

28. That's why it's so important we contribute something to this one if we can

Even a few dollars.

This cripples Bush every way he goes. If he says he didn't say it, he calls Robertson a liar. Or if he says he "misheard" it, same thing. Oh really, then why did Robertson go into such detail about it and say he practically pleaded with Bush to prepare the american people for bloodsed. Why would any other statement have such indelible memory? Why would he say Bush appeared so "confident" there wouldn't be any casualties? And why would he say it on at least two different national television programs?

On the other hand if he doesn't deny it, people are going to think...are you kidding me? A president is going to war, and is cocky about the fact he isn't concerned about casualities? This is incredible.

It also brings in the scary aspect of how he uses religion instead of intelligence briefings to make decisions.

He's humiliated any way he goes. Robertson has to contradict Bush or Bush has to contradict Robertson. If he doesn't he's screwed. If he does he's screwed. See why moveon needs our help.

[Pirate Smile]

27. On AndrewSullivan.com he points out multiple times where Robertson

has said essentially the same thing:
http://www.andrewsullivan.com/

"CHUNG: Because I'm wondering if you believe the United States should invade Iraq without U.N. backing.

ROBERTSON: Connie, I have, over the last year or so, been quite concerned about entering into this war. We should have gone in after him in the Gulf War I.

This thing is fraught with danger. And I think we need to understand that. I told the president that just recently, that we have got to prepare the American people for civilian casualties, for possibly our casualties, for gassing, for various chemical weapons against them.
No reference to Bush's response there. But this was before the invasion."

and another one from Hardball:

CAMPBELL BROWN (Guest host): I want to ask you how you feel about the war in Iraq. And if God is calling this war a disaster, does that mean that he is actually opposed to it?

PAT ROBERTSON: Well, I don't think God's opposed to the war, necessarily, but it was a danger sign. I felt very uneasy about it from the very get-go. Whenever I heard about it, I knew it was going to be trouble. I warned the president. I only met with him once. I said, You better prepare the American people for some serious casualties. And he said, Oh, no, our troops are, you know, so well protected, we don't have to worry about that.
No one in the administration denied it then, did they? And this statement is more convincing than the crude idea that the president predicted "no casualties." You know what? I believe Robertson.

[bush equals idiot]

29. Bush could give a shit about casualties.

That's why it never entered his mind. He could care less. All he wanted to do was take the entire US military into Iraq, spend a couple days, kill Hussein, show him--that will teach you to try to kill my poppa--then we'll come home, I'll pound my chest like the glorious Bush that I am, and I'll be a hero.

That's why he couldn't be deterred, wouldn't be deterred, had no interest in listening to his counter terrorism expert and why Treasury Secretary O'Neall said, he was like a blind man in a room full of deaf people. He was planning this the day he took office. Only his little field trip turned into Viet Nam.