"Protect America, Not George Bush"

by mcjoan
Daily Kos
Wed May 09, 2007 at 06:22:12 AM PDT

One of the favorite GOP talking points is that Congress shouldn't be making decisions for troops on the ground, that Bush listens to his generals and that they determine the course of action in Iraq. Three retired generals, John Batiste, Paul Eaton, and Wesley Clark, and a veteran of Afghanistan are taking to the airwaves to dispute that claim in a new series of ads sponsored by VoteVets. The ads are intended to force Congress, and particularly GOP members who have continually rubberstamped this war, to do its job and end this war.

The ads will run on broadcast and cable in markets targeting Senators Susan Collins, John Sununu, John Warner, and Norm Coleman, and Representatives Mary Bono, Phil English, Randy Kuhl, Jim Walsh, Heather Wilson, Jo Ann Emerson, Tim Johnson, Mike Rogers, Fred Upton, and Mike Castle in their home districts. From the VoteVets press release:

The first in the series of three ads features Major General (ret.) John Batiste, who was commanding general of the 1st Infantry Division from August 2002-June 2005. During this timeframe, he conducted combat operations in Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The division was deployed to north-central Iraq from February 2004 until February 2005 and included 22,000 soldiers from active and reserve component units from throughout the United States. Batiste twice voted for President Bush and is a lifelong Republican....

"For too long, the President has maintained that he’s just listening to commanders on the ground, which is utterly false. These ads set the record straight, directly from the mouths of those men," said Jon Soltz, Iraq war veteran and Chairman and Co-Founder of VoteVets.org. "The President isn’t listening, he hasn’t listened, and he hasn’t shown an interest in listening to commanders on the ground in Iraq. If the President won’t listen to commanders, then Congress must. They must force about a surge in diplomacy, and not allow a war without end."

Here's the first ad.