Rudy Campaign Responds To Our Story, Will Keep Using Petraeus Image In Ad
The Rudy campaign has now responded to our story yesterday quoting a spokesman for General Petraeus saying that the General "has not condoned" the use of his image in political ads by Giuliani or anyone else.
The spokesman had told us that the use of Petraeus' image -- which appears repeatedly in an ad on Rudy's campaign Web site -- had occurred "without his consent or advance knowledge."
The Rudy camp's response: Who cares?
What's more, Camp Rudy is actually blaming what Petraeus' spokesman said on Hillary.
From this morning's New York Daily News:
Giuliani lauded Petraeus and slammed Clinton in his own ad and a video on his campaign site. The Web site TPM Election Central yesterday quoted a Petraeus spokesman saying the general "has not condoned the use of his photo in political ads."Asked if the campaign was concerned, Giuliani spokeswoman Maria Comella said: "It speaks volumes that Hillary Clinton wasn't concerned about the use of Gen. Petraeus' photo when MoveOn.org used it to disgrace the American general's image."
This is an interesting response, since it wasn't Hillary who'd said Petraeus hadn't condoned the use of his image. It was a spokesman for Petraeus himself -- the same Petraeus that Rudy is claiming to respect so much and claiming Hillary disdains so much.
Meanwhile, the ad featuring Petraeus is still on Rudy's campaign Web site. Looks as if Camp Rudy has no intention of checking in with the General and asking him if he's okay with sticking multiple images of him into a political ad attacking a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee as anti-military, then. You'd think they'd care what Petraeus thinks about this.
Comments (7)
CT Voter wrote on September 16, 2007 12:49 PM:You'd think they'd care what Petraeus thinks about this.
No. Giuliani is an opportunistic thug who will say or do anything to get elected (like shutting down his Web site on 9/11 after participating, as a candidate for President, in 9/11 memorial activities). He's going to use, use, use Petraeus as much as possible, misquote opponents, and wrap himself in 9/11 imagery as much as possible. If he could get inside Petraeus' uniform, he would. He doesn't care what Petraeus thinks of any of it, as long as Petraeus maintains course in Iraq.
Official A wrote on September 16, 2007 1:32 PM:That Rudy has decided to run his primary campaigns against Hillary using irrelevant negatives tells us his target audience a) hates Clinton and b) is dumb as a brick. It may look and sound desperate, but it worked for W in 2000.
Daniel wrote on September 16, 2007 1:34 PM:Not a good week-end for any of the frontrunners. Clinton's campaign is also now worried by news that Florida dems are about to back down from their showdown with the DNC and make the primary meaningless, which would weaken Clinton's firewall strategy even more and put her at the mercy of small momentum shifts in the early states.
Jan wrote on September 16, 2007 1:38 PM:Yea, Greg Sargent!!!!
This response tells me that Rudy's ad didn't do exactly what Rudy intended. And I personally think he actually has a hornet's nest on his hands now.
Kudos, Mr. Sargent!
Keep up the GREAT work!
(His ad cost $65,000. Are you able to find out what he raised off it? I've heard MoveOn raised a ton.)
RobertPaul wrote on September 16, 2007 1:44 PM:Giuliani is Italian for unprincipled thug.
It's a mafia thing I think.
Rudy "Hot Chick" Giuliani.
AJ wrote on September 16, 2007 4:14 PM:The nice thing about this is that Rudy is overtly politicizing Petraeus, which may help Rudy in the short term in shoring up his dwindling base. But, it does far more damage to Petraeus, who is made to look more and more partisan, and he's the only band-aid of credibility the Republicans have.
So I say keep it up Rudy, you're doing what MoveOn couldn't, discredit the General.
Jane wrote on September 17, 2007 9:46 AM:Giuliani would be a terrible president but he as well as Move-on have a First Amendment right to use photos of public figures for any purpose they choose.
TPM was right to ask Petraeus if he condoned it because Rudy was trying to generate a false impression that Petraeus was backing him.
Move-on was direct and honest attack on the General's credibility and nobody thought otherwise so there was no problem with the use of his picture.
It is not the use of the photo but the dishonest impression that Rudy was creating which is the problem.
As a lawyer, Rudy should show more respect for Move On's constitutional rights of free speech.
