Legal Commentary

A Last Desperate Flurry of Attacks

By TChris

Fred Eshelman, "a wealthy North Carolina based pharmaceutical executive," finances a conservative group that claims to communicate "with a zingy edge and a sense of humor." An example of that humor is an attack ad airing today. The ad exploits Joe Biden's prediction that the next president will be "tested" by an international crisis.

The script of the latest attack ad is less provocative than than the images used. Along with footage of the Twin Towers, the commercial is shot stylistically like the Fox show “24” with shaky camera images of dark-skinned men building a bomb, and ends with the bomb’s detonation in a city. The ad also uses an image of Obama next to one of the terrorists driving a van.

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Susan Davis at the WSJ Washington Wire writes:

It’s also unclear what the ad is advocating — it does not name any policies Obama has supported or opposed, but suggests that he will “undermine” U.S. security efforts. The ad is part of a last minute effort by a number of GOP attack ads hitting Obama in the final days of the campaign.

Davis' confusion notwithstanding, it seems quite clear what the ad is advocating: Barack Obama pals around with terrorists. He would undermine security because he wants to destroy America as we know it. He's not a real American.

The Jeremiah Wright ads send the same message: Obama pals around with America-bashers. His values are different. He's not a real American.

One last flurry of desperate attacks, a relaunch of overblown charges that voters have already heard and rejected. To preserve your sanity, you might want to turn off the television (with the exception of essential football games), to disconnect your telephone, and to enforce radio silence until Tuesday evening.

Full post as published by TalkLeft on November 02, 2008 (boomark / email).