Chambliss Defends 2002 Attack Ad That John McCain Called ‘Disgraceful’ And ‘Reprehensible’
Chambliss Defends 2002 Attack Ad That John McCain Called ‘Disgraceful’ And ‘Reprehensible’
Sen. Saxby Chambliss’s (R-GA) re-election camp has confirmed that Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) will campaign for Chambliss in Georgia this week. The incumbent Republican is “locked in a tight runoff with Democrat Jim Martin that will be decided on Dec. 2.”
Chambliss won his Senate seat in 2002 by defeating incumbent Max Cleland (D), a veteran who lost both arms and one leg in Vietnam. Chambliss’s strategy at the time was to paint Cleland as soft on national security. As part of that strategy, he ran a television ad linking Cleland to Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden. At the time, McCain condemned the ad in the strongest terms:
McCAIN: I’d never seen anything like that ad. Putting pictures of Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden next to the picture of a man who left three limbs on the battlefield — it’s worse than disgraceful. It’s reprehensible.
But on Fox News this week, Chambliss not only defended the ad, calling it a “lightweight ad” and “very fair,” but he also suggested that he would do it again:
CHAMBLISS: You know, that ad is a myth that just hangs around. If people had seen the ads that were run against me by my then opponent, they would think that is a lightweight ad. But, you know, politics is a contact sport. [...] We get down and we’re going to do it again. [...] [T]hat ad was very fair.
Watch it:
Will the “maverick” McCain remind Chambliss that his 2002 ad was “disgraceful” and urge him to run a “respectful campaign“?
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Will the “maverick” McCain remind Chambliss that his 2002 ad was “disgraceful” and urge him to run a “respectful campaign“?
um, NO. Have you folks even been paying attention?
November 12th, 2008 at 11:05 amWill the “maverick” McCain remind Chambliss that his 2002 ad was “disgraceful” and urge him to run a “respectful campaign“?
– - McCain, circa 2008: “It’s absolutely lightweight. It isn’t like it’s an ad that insinuates he has a daughter of color born out of wedlock.
Oh, wait…”
November 12th, 2008 at 11:09 amThe POS is defending the indefensible.
GO MARTY, GO!
November 12th, 2008 at 11:15 amJohn McCain has no principles and is a tiny man if he doesn’t reprimand Chambliss and refuse to campaign for him.
http://sunstateactivist.org/ssablog/
November 12th, 2008 at 11:17 amWill the “maverick” McCain remind Chambliss that his 2002 ad was “disgraceful” and urge him to run a “respectful campaign“?
Ok, that was a rhetorical question….right??
John McCain advising Chambliss to run a “respectful” campaign after the campaign he just ran?
Besides, this whole “maverick” thing is nothing more than a myth. If you look at McCain’s voting record, his votes rarely matched his “maverick” image.
November 12th, 2008 at 11:21 amIt is interesting to me that McCain is supporting Chmabliss who has a history of voting against vets, but that he is campaigning against Martin – a Vietnam veteran. But then again, McCain’s own history of voting against vets is huge.
November 12th, 2008 at 11:22 amBTW-the draft-dodging chickenhawk’s smear campaign against a triple-amputee DAV is the most shameful and sleaziest I have EVER seen in my ENTIRE life.
November 12th, 2008 at 11:22 amI would bet McCain isn’t able to get back into character so quickly as to condemn Chambliss.
November 12th, 2008 at 11:23 amI just donated 100.00 to Jim Martin to get this narrowminded hatemonger away from Washington. We do not need people like this anywhere near DC
November 12th, 2008 at 11:25 amGeorgia is full of racists, fascists and war-mongers.
Name something good that came out of this state?
Perhaps we need another Sherman’s march to the sea to staighten these rednecks out?
November 12th, 2008 at 11:28 amYet another brick in the wall of Republican Irrelivence. As we watch the party of Lincoln suffer yet another self-inflicted blow to the head we ponder, yet again, just how Nuts can these folks Possibly be? Is there no end to the madness?
November 12th, 2008 at 11:30 amImpeach, while There’s Still Time!
John McCain has a short memory. He’ll campaign for the sleazeball Chambliss and he hired the same low lifes who ran that hideous ad against him during the 2000 South Carolina primary. The only thing Sen. McCain doesn’t let us forget are those 5 and a half years spent in the Hanoi Hilton. By the way, what exactly did he tell those guys anyway? He must have told them something. If he lied, then torture doesn’t work. And, if he gave them real information; he broke down. Which one is it?
November 12th, 2008 at 11:32 amThis needs to truly be made into a national referendum against chickenhawks and to let people know what kind of person would run this kind of campaign as well as how he voted against the veterans.
November 12th, 2008 at 11:35 amAnd anyone who publicly speaks out in his favor will be painted with the same brush.
As a Vitnam vet, I find him and McCain to be lower than whale shit on the human scale.
Spotlight on who supports the troops……it aint these guys.
November 12th, 2008 at 11:37 amctcadguy Says:
——————————————————————————–
Georgia is full of racists, fascists and war-mongers.
Name something good that came out of this state?
Perhaps we need another Sherman’s march to the sea to staighten these rednecks out?
Well were are not all like that, and MLK came out of Georgia, and so did Ray Charles, besides were getting there, maybe not this election cycle, but sooner rather than later.
November 12th, 2008 at 11:42 amI really hope Chambliss loses. The ad against Max Cleland was horrible, and we all know it. I think he is a bigot, and I would love to see Martin win. Come on, Georgia, throw the bum out!
November 12th, 2008 at 11:42 amctcadguy Says:
Georgia is full of racists, fascists and war-mongers.
Name something good that came out of this state?
I’ve bought stone-ground grits from a Georgia mill that are so good they’d bring tears to your eyes. I like to call in the order so I can listen to the woman on the other end with her hushpuppy accent.
Minnesota has had a sh!thead Senator and Minnesota is a great state. Alaska ditto. Don’t dismiss an entire state just because of one mistake. It’s a big mistake, mind you, and Chambliss should have been tarred and feathered six years ago, but still . . .
November 12th, 2008 at 11:48 amHe admitted that he broke and spilled his guts.
He should not be condemned for that but it dosen’t make him a hero either……the hero’s died with the info.
November 12th, 2008 at 11:49 amThis guy is an unrepentant, amoral, misanthrope. If the people of Georgia want to elect him, they get what they deserve.
November 12th, 2008 at 11:50 am“… politics is a contact sport?”
With a triple amputee? Seriously?
Memo to Senator Chamblis: STFU! Or, loosely translated for polite company, apply the rule of holes: when in a hole, stop digging.
There is no way that a draft-dodging Vietnam era fraud like Saxby Chambliss can hold a candle to Secretary Cleland. Hopefully, even ‘his people’ can see that, and give the nod to his opponent.
November 12th, 2008 at 11:51 amkpaul Says:
….. If the people of Georgia want to elect him, they get what they deserve.
Unfortunately, even more in the Senate than the House, ALL of us get what THEY deserve. So this is a national issue.
November 12th, 2008 at 11:54 amI keep saying to myself, sooner than later, these old southern conservative fossils will die out and we’ll all be better off. Maybe once we rid the government of these ancient low brows, this country can finally try to mend the wounds that ignorance and racism has caused.
November 12th, 2008 at 11:56 am“But, you know, politics is a contact sport.”
bravely spoken
from a man who
didn’t serve.
(chambliss had a “bad knee”.)
*
thank you.
*
November 12th, 2008 at 11:58 amSorry, uh, “Saxby,” but that ad is not a myth. It exists, and you approved it. Heck, it might have even been your bright idea. But it’s real and a plump, steamy coil at that. Why, you can almost hear the pride in your voice talking about it! Good show, old bean! You and McCain deserve each other.
November 12th, 2008 at 11:58 amIf you hired a portrait artist to depict Chambliss, the final product wouldn’t look any different than a Georgia O’keefe painting…
November 12th, 2008 at 12:00 pmPolitics at it’s best ! Is there ANY room for ethics and honesty ?
November 12th, 2008 at 12:02 pmPolitics is a contact sport?
November 12th, 2008 at 12:07 pmOne thing that we learned from the past elections when it comes to attack adds;
worked against Kerry because he did not respond fast and did not offer a counter attack
worked agaisnt Mc Cain because the President-elect Obama, replied in every attack aggressively and he is ready to offer an alternative.
Now… let us face it that such adds will be used, esp. by the evil guy Chambliss, it is upto Martin’s campaign team to choose how to respond to it. The whimpy Kerry way or the pro-active Obama way. May I add… Obama is the now also called the president-elect.
November 12th, 2008 at 12:13 pmI’m surprised that Chambliss is still willing to defend his attacks against Cleland. Of course, he’s only marketing himself to “his folks” anyway, so it really doesn’t matter to him.
If Obama had the appalling taste to run an attack ad linking former POW McCain with known terrorists or torturers, would Chambliss have been OK with that? Would he have dismissed it as a “lightweight” ad that was “fair”? I really doubt it. He would have blasted that tactic as being over the line, and he would have been right.
November 12th, 2008 at 12:33 pmLungman424 Says
November 12th, 2008 at 11:42 am
Well were are not all like that, and MLK came out of Georgia, and so did Ray Charles, besides were getting there, maybe not this election cycle, but sooner rather than later.
_______________________________________________________
Don’t forget Jimmy Carter.
And Ossie Davis.
And Otis Redding.
And Coca-Cola.
Just to name a few more I consider “good”.
November 12th, 2008 at 12:39 pmOh come on, don’t you know it’s A-OK for republicans to attack and question the patriotism of a democratic politician who is also a war hero/veteran BUT it is totally out of line and despicable to ever question republican politicians who served and/or kind of served their country. (McCain/Bush)
Saxby Chambliss is a scumbag who needs his a$$ handed to him in the December runoff. Scumbags like him are not needed in our government. By the way, who in the hell names their son Saxby???
November 12th, 2008 at 12:47 pmREM is another good thing to come out of Georgia.
November 12th, 2008 at 12:49 pmIt’s too bad John Lewis never had the ambition to run for Senate. He would demolish Chambliss.
Hell, bring back Sam Nunn…let him reclaim his old seat, tainted for six years by the chickenhawk traitor.
November 12th, 2008 at 12:52 pmbut, you know, politics is a contact sport.
chambliss is lucky Cleland only has one good arm.
November 12th, 2008 at 12:57 pmGreat! Bring in McClown! And ImPalin too!!
November 12th, 2008 at 1:39 pmPlaying to the lunatic right-wing base probably, unfortunately, still works in parts of Georgia.
It doesn’t matter if Chambliss thinks it is fair or over the top. Of course he doesn’t.
All he has to do to win is to throw out buzz words that create fear, anger, resentment and hatred to his constinuents and Presto! He will win …
Perhaps he will also enjoy a bloated and miserable early end like Lee Atwater for these horrible destructive tactics …
November 12th, 2008 at 2:07 pmHis tactics are disgraceful. So I’m supporting him.
I’m John McChurian and I approve this message.
November 12th, 2008 at 2:30 pmChambliss & McCain. Guaranteed to fail.
November 12th, 2008 at 7:00 pm“Saxby.”
November 12th, 2008 at 7:07 pmJust understood from Olbermann that the “reprehensible” ad was an ad showing McClellan with Osama Bin Laden.
Of course, no one at all implied any similarities between Bin Laden and the Hawaiian Muslim Jihadist Barak Hussein Osama (oops, sorry, misspelled. My bad! Yeah right!)
November 12th, 2008 at 9:49 pm