Oh, this is getting good. The Bush surrogates are now using Reagan in ads for Bush's reelection WITHOUT THE REAGAN FAMILY'S PERMISSION, something the family has come out and said is expressly required before running such an ad, and something the family would NOT approve.
But even more interesting, the family's response said that by using Reagan, the ad implies that Reagan endorsed Bush's candidacy, and that's something the family is not willing to do at this juncture. In other words, the Reagan family is NOT WILLING to be seen endorsing Bush's re-election at this juncture. That, my friends, is news.
Here's the story from AP:
Days after Ronald Reagan was laid to rest, a conservative interest group on Tuesday unveiled a campaign ad that aligns him with President Bush and criticizes Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry.The only remaining question is when Bush plans to apologize to the Reagan family for this desecration of their father and husband only days after he was buried, and when Bush plans on publicly calling on his supporters to NOT use Reagan's image in the future out of respect to the family.
The Club for Growth's ad, which is to begin airing Wednesday, portrays both Republican presidents as leaders — Reagan on communism and Bush on terrorism, while claiming Kerry was "wrong then, wrong now" on national security.
The ad shows Kerry, a Vietnam veteran, testifying to Congress in 1971 that "we cannot fight communism all over the world and I think we should have learned that lesson by now."
Former President Reagan is then seen at the Berlin Wall in 1987, saying "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall." That's followed by Bush telling rescue workers at the World Trade Center after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks: "I can hear you, the rest of the world hears you, and the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon."
The Reagan family's spokeswoman said Tuesday that permission is needed for anyone to use Reagan's likeness in an ad because doing so implies that he endorsed one candidate over another.
"No one has requested the permission to use his image in an ad, nor would we feel it appropriate to give such permission at this juncture," Joanne Drake said. "We protect his image very carefully, particularly as it relates to politics."
