Who said it? An ad campain.

The Nixon quote on the front page reminded me of an idea that I think could make for an effective series of ads.

Show the quote (play the audio, or have it read if the voice is instantly recognizable):

When the strongest nation in the world can be tied down for four years in a war in Vietnam with no end in sight, when the richest nation in the world cannot manage its economy, when the nation with the greatest tradition of the rule of war is plagued by unprecedented racial violence, when the President of the United States cannot travel abroad, or to any major city at home, then its time for new leadership for the United States."

Let it sit up there for a few seconds, and then show Nixon and give the attribution: President Nixon, 1968 RNC Acceptance Speech.

The same can be done for a number of quotes:

"Trying to eliminate Saddam .. would have incurred incalculable human and political costs. ... We would have been forced to occupy Baghdad and, in effect, rule Iraq ...there was no viable "exit strategy" we could see, violating another of our principles. Furthermore, we had been self-consciously trying to set a pattern for handling aggression in the post-Cold War world. Going in and occupying Iraq, thus unilaterally exceeding the United Nations' mandate, would have destroyed the precedent of international response to aggression that we hoped to establish. Had we gone the invasion route, the United States could conceivably still be an occupying power in a bitterly hostile land."

• Fade in George H. W. Bush

• Throw in some Rumsfeld and Cheney quotes, there's a ton out there.

*The famous George W. Bush flip flop on caring about Osama bin Laden. "He's not a priority".

I think these ads could be effective in getting people to do a double take and reconsider what they'd accepted as true. I'd spend the rest of the ad putting forward Kerry's proposals to correct to Bush's mistakes.

•  Go with the George H. W. Bush quote

  It is powerful, and it proves that all these "unforeseen" events that happened were not only foreseen, but written about by the bloody President's dad.

  I think it would be powerful.

  by centurysux on Wed Sep 01, 2004 at 02:16:26 PM PDT