Greg Sargent
Election Central
Friday, November 3, 2006

Question: When is it okay to run a political ad with images of the flag-draped coffins of soldiers? Answer: When you're a Republican. Back in July, the National Republican Congressional Committee held a press conference to denounce its Dem counterpart, the DCCC, for running a web ad showing such coffin imagery. Many other senior Republicans, including House majority leader John Boehner, condemned the ad, and it was a raging controversy for days until the DCCC pulled it. But guess what: Now there are not one, but two Republican ads which show an image of flag-draped coffins -- and one of them has been paid for by, yep, the NRCC. More after the jump.

The above image is a screen grab of an ad which was paid for by the campaign of GOP candidate Paul Nelson, a former Marine and real estate developer who's running against Dem Rep. Ron Kind in Wisconsin's third district. You can watch the ad right here.

Election Central reached an aide at Nelson's office a few minutes ago. When we told him that the DCCC ad with similar imagery was roundly condemned by leading Republicans in July, the aide told us that he wasn't aware that this had happened. He declined comment and referred us to the campaign press secretary, whi didn't immediately return an email for comment. (We've also asked the NRCC for their take on the ad given their condemnation of such imagery in July.)

So that's the first ad.

The second ad showing flag-draped coffins comes courtesy of, yes, the NRCC. As the Associated Press reports today, the ad has been running since Tuesday in Georgia's 12th district against Dem Rep. John Barrow. Barrow is fending off a challenge from GOP candidate Max Burns.

The NRCC ad against Barrow shows images of TV screens showing the DCCC ad originally condemned by the NRCC. A narrator says: "Barrow is funded by an organization that used coffins of dead American soldiers in a fund-raising ad." That's a reference, of course, to the DCCC. Here's the key screen grab:

Even though this GOP ad -- unlike the one by in Wisconsin -- is using the original Dem footage of flag-draped coffins in order to attack Dems, the NRCC ad has nonetheless drawn criticism not just from Dems, but from GOP candidate Burns, too. Burns said any use of the imagery at all is out of bounds -- even if it's referring to the Dem ad -- and demanded that the NRCC pull the new spot:

"It is unacceptable for them to use American soldiers' coffins in any advertising," Burns told The Associated Press. "They need to remove those immediately."

Dem Barrow also blasted the NRCC for running the ad:

Barrow called it "utter hypocrisy" that Republicans would attack him with images they considered off-limits months ago.

"They're not trying to insult the memories of fallen soldiers to raise money, they're doing it to get votes," Barrow said. "It's just as insensitive either way."

So both the Republican and Dem candidates agree that any sort of use of this imagery at all is out of bounds in a political ad. Nonetheless, the NRCC is refusing to pull it. "Our production of the ad is completely independent of former congressman Burns and we have no plans to take it down," NRCC spokesman Jonathan Collegio. told AP.

With the two above ads in mind, then, let's look back at what the NRCC said in July about the use of this imagery in an ad. Here's what NRCC chief Tom Reynolds had to say about the Dem use of it in July:

Rep. Tom Reynolds, R-N.Y., held a news conference to denounce the ad.

"It makes my stomach turn to see national Democrats so blatantly exploit the sacrifices made by the men and women of our armed forces," Reynolds said.

John Boehner:

"It's disgraceful that ... the Democrats would use images of caskets of dead American soldiers to raise money. I think they should pull the advertisement immediately and sincerely apologize to our men and women in uniform and their families and the American people."

So there you have it. Watch the NRSC's ad below:

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