Here's the story. But no photo yet...
Bush campaign to recut doctored ad photo
Thursday, October 28, 2004
The Bush-Cheney '04 ad uses Bush's convention speech, images of convention delegates, cheering crowds, troops and others.
INDIANOLA, Iowa (AP) -- President Bush's campaign acknowledged Thursday that it had doctored a photograph used in a television commercial and said the ad will be re-edited and reshipped to TV stations.
The photo of Bush addressing a group of soldiers was edited to take out a podium, aides said, and a group of soldiers in the crowd was electronically copied and used to fill where the podium had been.
'There was no need to do that,' said Mark McKinnon, head of Bush's advertising team who shouldered the blame. 'Everyone technically works for me so I accept the responsibility.'
Democrats said it is fitting that Bush would fabricate an advertising image.
'This administration has always had a problem telling the truth from Iraq to jobs to health care,' said Kerry spokesman Joe Lockhart.
'The Bush campaign's advertising has been consistently dishonest in what they say. But today, it's been exposed for being dishonest about what we see. If they won't tell the truth in an ad, they won't tell the truth about anything else,' Lockhart said.
McKinnon said a video editor he declined to identify was told to edit the picture to focus on a young boy waving a flag.
On his own initiative, the editor removed the podium and copied the faces, McKinnon said.
'I didn't even know it was done,' he said. The doctoring was first revealed on an Internet site. 'There was no intention on anybody's part to try to represent anything that wasn't true,' McKinnon said
The Bush campaign noted that Bush was addressing a large group of troops in both the original and edited version.
'Bush is talking to the troops, the troops are real,' said Bush spokesman Steve Schmidt said. He noted that the crowd the president was speaking to was much larger than depicted in the ad.
The ad, released Wednesday, is an emotional appeal in which Bush defends his decision to go to war and empathizes with fallen soldiers and their families.
The ad is running on national cable networks and in local media markets in at least one state, Ohio.
But, you can always fall back on your degree in... Communications! Oh, dear Lord!
I know! Is phony major. Lubchenko learn nothing. Nothing!
Our greatest glory consists not in never falling. But in rising every time we fall.
Breathe and Stop
Ninja Steeze 05
