Anti-Kerry Ads Not Unfair, Laura Bush Says
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -
First lady Laura Bush said on Sunday that campaign advertisements accusing Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry of lying about his Vietnam War record were fair.
In an interview with Time magazine released on Sunday, Mrs. Bush said ads by a group called Swift Boat Veterans for Truth criticizing Kerry were no different from attack ads that have been aimed at President Bush.
"Do I think they're unfair? Not really. There have been millions of terrible ads against my husband," Mrs. Bush told Time.
The Kerry campaign criticized Mrs. Bush's remarks and accused the Bush organization of coordinating with the Swift Boat Veterans, which is barred under campaign finance rules.
"Mrs. Bush's statement in support of the Swift Boat smear ads is more sad evidence that these attacks have been coordinated from the top down at the White House," Kerry spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter said.
The Bush campaign has denied colluding with the Swift Boat Veterans on the ads. But its case was hurt this past week when a top lawyer for the Bush campaign, Benjamin Ginsberg, resigned after disclosing he was providing legal advice to the veteran's group.
Kerry's war record in Vietnam has dominated the 2004 presidential campaign in recent weeks after ads by the Swift Boat group accused him of lying about the events that led to his decoration for bravery while commanding a swift boat in Vietnam.
President Bush has said the ads attacking Kerry should be stopped, along with those being aired by other such 527 groups, so named for the section of the tax code under which they are organized.
The White House on Thursday said it would file a lawsuit to try to force the Federal Election Commission to crack down on the groups. Bush has said he does not believe Kerry lied about his record, but he has refused to condemn the ads directly.
