[Vacets-local-dc] [527 ads should be ignored ...]

[Hai Tran]

Mud-slinging ads should be ignored



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E D I T O R I A L 
Most people who decried the Campaign Finance Reform Act of 2002 said it wouldn't be long before the major political parties would be using it for their advantage. 
That day has come. 
The advent of the "527 group" -- tax-exempt groups that utilize unlimited contributions to attack political opponents while maintaining no direct connection to a certain candidate -- has harkened the dawn of a new, but sad, day in politics. 
Newspapers across the country -- including the Eagle-Gazette -- carried the story of Wednesday's resignation of a a top legal adviser to President Bush. 
The disclosure of his simultaneous involvement in the Bush administration and a group running ads attacking Democratic nominee Sen. John Kerry's service in Vietnam was a seeming smoking gun for Democrats. 
But both sets of hands -- liberal and conservative -- are dirty. 
According to a report on ABC's Nightline, 527 groups favoring Democrats have raised $145 million for attack ads on Republicans, while Republicans have raised $9 million. 
Since early March, liberal groups such as the Media Fund and MoveOn PAC have spent about $40 million on anti-Bush ads. 
Spending by the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth and other anti-Kerry groups has so far totaled just a few million dollars. 
All this hypocrisy points to one thing -- the debate over military service is a non-issue. 
There are questions about Kerry's service in Vietnam, just like there are questions about Bush's National Guard service. 
Americans will elect a president in November. 
They will do so based on what that person can do for our country now -- not what they did during Vietnam. 
Since 527 groups will be here for the duration of this campaign, both sides -- and the public -- need to stop the bickering and get back to the real issues -- national security, the war in Iraq and the economy. 
As for voters, they should ignore the mud-slinging ads of these groups. 
They're not meant to further democracy, but rather to demean the process. 



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You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.
		
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