Americans United Launches Ad Attacking Bush for Role in CIA Leaks in Advance of Hayden Hearings

National TV Ad Shows Bush 43 Has Mislead America on Plame, other Selective Leaks of Intel to

Bolster War/Attack Critics While Bush 41 Had "Contempt and Anger" for Such Leaks

http://www.americansunitedforchange.org/News/

2006_ads.htm/2006_multimedia.htm

Washington -- On the eve of the Senate Confirmation hearings on the nomination of General Michael Hayden to head the CIA, Americans United has launched a new ad which calls into question the truthfulness of President Bush regarding his and his Administration's role in selectively leaking classified intelligence to bolster the Administration's case for the war in Iraq and to punish those who were critical of the war and of the Administration's use of selective and hyped intelligence in the lead up to the war.

"President Bush has mislead the American people about his and his Administration's role in intelligence leaks every since the war began," said Americans United Brad Woodhouse. "President Bush said if anyone leaked sensitive information he wanted to know about it. However, as published reports have shown, President Bush was misleading the public because he clearly knew about the selective leaks of hyped pre war intelligence because he authorized many of the leaks himself. So desperate were President Bush and Vice President Cheney to justify the war and discredit their critics, within the White House they created a culture of selective leaks which eventually lead to the unmasking of an undercover CIA operative which has led to the indictment of one White House aide and may lead to the indictment of another. The President's father, who said that he had "contempt and anger" for such leaks, should clearly be ashamed."

This is the second in a series of ads Americans United is running on National Security criticizing President Bush and his allies for their performance on national and homeland security issues. In addition to advocating for a change of course on such issues, the ad campaign is designed to demonstrate that progressives and heir allies in Congress have tougher and smarter ideas for addressing America's national and homeland security challenges and that progressives and their allies in Congress are ready to go toe to toe with President on what heretofore was his perceived strength - national security. The first ad in this series criticized Bush and his allies in Congress for doing so little to protect our ports from a potential terrorist attack and calling for 100 percent container inspection. A description of the visuals in the new ad entitled "Father Knows Best" and a transcript follows the news summary below.

To coincide with Hayden's hearings, Americans United For Change is running an ad denouncing the administration's condemnation of leaks.

Democrats have said the White House has a double standard, criticizing leaks on its national security programs while approving leaks on political adversaries to defend the case for the Iraq war. The disclosure of former CIA operative Valerie Plame's name has cited as the epitome of that policy.

The ad will quote the first President Bush expressing "contempt and anger" in 1999 for those who expose the names of U.S. sources. Spokesman Brad Woodhouse said his organization is spending just over $100,000 on CNN, Fox and the Fox affiliate in Waco, Texas. Associated Press, May 16, 2006

Bush denies eavesdropping on U.S. phone calls

By TERENCE HUNT

AP White House Correspondent

05-16-2006 12:35

WASHINGTON (AP) _ President Bush insisted Tuesday that the United States does not listen in on domestic telephone conversations among ordinary Americans. But he declined to say whether the government's compiling of phone records was an invasion of privacy.

"We do not listen to domestic phone calls without court approval," Bush said in an East Room news conference with Australian Prime Minister John Howard.

"What I've told the American people is we'll protect them against an al-Qaida attack. And we'll do that within the law," Bush said.

"This government will continue to guard the privacy of the American people. But if al-Qaida is calling into the United States, we want to know, and we want to know why," the president added.

However, Bush did not respond directly when asked whether it was a violation of privacy for the National Security Agency to seek phone records from telephone companies.

A Senate confirmation hearing is scheduled for Thursday on Bush's nomination of Air Force Gen. Michael Hayden to head the Central Intelligence Agency. As the NSA director from 1999-2005, Hayden oversaw the government's warrantless surveillance program.

Questions about that program, and new revelations about the NSA's phone data bank, may be obstacles to Hayden's confirmation.

Bush did appear to acknowledge the NSA sweep of phone records indirectly, saying that the program referred to by a reporter in a question "is one that has been fully briefed to members of the United States Congress in both political parties."

"They're very aware of what is taking place. The American people expect their government to protect them within the laws of this country and I'm going to continue to do just that," he said.

To coincide with Hayden's hearings, Americans United For Change is running an ad denouncing the administration's condemnation of leaks.

On another subject, Bush defended his day-old initiative that aims to place up to 6,000 National Guard troops along the country's southern border to help enforce immigration laws.

The deployment "really is not going to put a strain on our capacity to fight and win the war on terror," Bush said. Critics have suggested that National Guard troops, who would carry out this mission, already are stretched thin with assignments in Iraq and Afghanistan and in coping with natural disasters at home, including Hurricane Katrina.

He thanked visiting Australian Prime Minister John Howard for standing firm on keeping Australian troops in Iraq.

For his part, Howard said that the "war on terror will go on for some time. I think we have to accept that."

Roll Call

Mary Ann Akers

Roll Call Staff

May 16, 2006

Round Two.

The left-of-center group Americans United is launching the second in an aggressive series of ads today on CNN and Fox News that attacks the Bush administration on the issue it has long touted as its strength: national security.

As Americans United waits with bated breath to see whether President Bush's brain, aka Karl Rove, is indicted as part of the CIA leak investigation, the group's ad reminds Americans about indictment No. 1, former vice presidential aide Scooter Libby, and how administration officials at the highest echelon have reacted to critics of the Iraq war.

The ad begins with a nighttime view of the White House, flashes to Bush at a news conference in 2003 saying, "I want to tell you something - leaks of classified information are ... are ... are ... bad things. ... If there is a leak out of my administration, I want to know who it is."

Cut to an April 7, 2006, headline in The New York Times blaring: "Cheney's Aide Says President Approved Leak." (The leak being a classified, pre-war intelligence estimate, not Valerie Plame's name.)

Then, floating backwards again in time, you can see then-President George H.W. Bush at the CIA headquarters dedication ceremony on April 26, 1999, saying, "I have nothing but contempt and anger for those who betray the trust by exposing the names of our sources. They are in my view the most insidious of traitors."

A voice at the end of the ad says, "Tell the president to listen to his father. Call 202-456-1414." (For the uninitiated, that's the main White House switchboard.)

It's not exactly coincidence that the ad is released just as the Senate prepares to question Air Force Gen. Michael Hayden, Bush's nominee to head the CIA, about the propriety of wiretapping and data mining.

The Situation: Tuesday, May 16

Editor's Note: The Situation Report is a running log of dispatches, quotes, links and behind-the-scenes notes filed by the correspondents and producers of CNN's Washington Bureau. Watch "The Situation Room" with Wolf Blitzer on CNN 4 p.m. ET to 6 p.m. ET and 7 p.m. ET to 8 p.m. ET weekdays.

The Morning Grind

Posted: 10:45 a.m. ET
From Mark Preston, CNN Political Unit

Americans United, a progressive advocacy group, releases its second "national security" themed television ad today aimed at discrediting Bush and bolstering Democrats on this issue before the midterm elections. The 30 second commercial is scheduled to run nationally on CNN and Fox as well as the Fox affiliate in Crawford/Waco viewing area with a total buy between $100,000 and $200,000.

Titled 'Father Knows Best' it contrasts Bush and his father's comments on the leaking of CIA operative Valerie Plame's identity to revelations the current president knew about it. Check out the ad here.

Blog Links to AU Leak Ad

http://www.dailykos.com/comments/2006/5/15/1409/89848/89#c89

http://mindtangle.net/2006/05/15/father-knows-best/

http://www.miklb.com/blog/2006/my-site/father-knows-best/

http://towleroad.typepad.com/towleroad/2006/05/father_knows_be.html

http://phillysnews.com/philadelphia/tell_bush_to_listen_to_his_father

http://johnreames.blogspot.com/2006/05/time-to-impeach.html#links

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