Bush Campaign Refuses to Pull Ad Olympic Ad

[question]

taken from > Yahoo News <

ATHENS, Greece - President Bush (news - web sites)'s re-election campaign refused a request by the U.S. Olympic Committee on Thursday to pull a television ad that mentions the Olympics.

Bush campaign spokesman Scott Stanzel said the ads will continue through Sunday, the final day of the Athens Games.

"We are on firm legal ground to mention the Olympics to make a factual point in a political advertisement," Stanzel said.

The USOC asked the campaign to pull the ads on Thursday, committee spokesman Darryl Seibel said. The ad shows a swimmer and the flags of Iraq (news - web sites) and Afghanistan (news - web sites).

"In 1972, there were 40 democracies in the world. Today, 120," an announcer says. "Freedom is spreading throughout the world like a sunrise. And this Olympics there will be two more free nations. And two fewer terrorist regimes."

Some of the players on the Iraqi Olympic soccer team have complained about the ad appearing as part of a political campaign.

The International Olympic Committee (news - web sites) and the USOC have the authority to regulate the use of anything involving the Olympics.

"We own the rights to the Olympic name, and no one has asked us," said Gerhard Heiberg, the Norwegian IOC (news - web sites) representative and IOC market commission leader.

Heiberg told the Norwegian news agency NTB: "We're watching, and we hope they will stop the commercial."

An act of Congress, last revised in 1999, grants the USOC exclusive rights to such terms as "Olympic," derivatives such as "Olympiad" and the five interlocking rings. It also specifically says the organization "shall be nonpolitical and may not promote the candidacy of an individual seeking public office."

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It's so hard not to invoke Godwin's Law.

[willy_jack]

Salih Sadir Midfielder, Iraqi Olympian Soccer Team:

"Iraq as a team does not want Mr. Bush to use us for the presidential campaign,"

Ahmed Manajid Midfielder, Iraqi Olympian Soccer Team:

"How will he meet his god having slaughtered so many men and women? He has committed so many crimes."

Adnan Hamad, Iraqi Olympian Soccer Coach:

"They are with what America has done in Iraq: destroy everything. The American army has killed so many people in Iraq. What is freedom when I go to the [national] stadium and there are shootings on the road?"

</B>And if that ain't enough, Folks, Salih Sadir hails from the current Iraqi hotpoint, Najaf, and says of the current siege of his hometown:

"I want the violence and the war to go away from the city, we don't wish for the presence of Americans in our country. We want them to go away."

And let's hear what the aforementioned Ahmed Manajid has to say about what Bush's invasion has done to his own country...

Manajid's own cousin was killed by "coalition" troops, as he was among the insurgents fighting the occupation. Mr. Manajid says that In fact, if he were not playing soccer he would "for sure" be fighting as part of the resistance.

Quoth Mr Manajid:

"I want to defend my home. If a stranger invades America and the people resist, does that mean they are terrorists? Everyone [in Fallujah] has been labeled a terrorist. These are all lies. Fallujah people are some of the best people in Iraq."

I could wax poetic about the implications of this, but I'll suffice it to say:

This is just a small sampling of the Iraqi olympic team's attitudes towards the "democracy" that Bush has so graciously given their country- and this is just the Soccer team...

I dunno about ya'll, but I'm rooting for the Iraqi team, BIG TIME- I hope they get a TON of gold, bronze, and silver medals- because- I know- Bush will invite these victorious Iraqi olympians to a nice, sedate, rose garden ceremony. And I'll be waiting in anticipation, as Bush steps up to shake hands with one of these Iraqi medal winners, and I hope to GOD, ALLAH, BUDDHA, JAHOVAH, "BOB", and VISHNU (among many others) that one of these fine sons of Babylon will hock a HUGE lugie into the left eye of this son of a Bush, and let him know just how much they appreciate the "liberation", and "democracy" that he has brought to their nation.

[bfp]

I don't see the problem with using it. Of course, it's political.

Who cares?

[Ryan]

Originally Posted by bfp

I don't see the problem with using it. Of course, it's political.

Who cares?

The main problem is that the Iraqi players have said they fear for their lives when they return home. Being used as an example of America's success in the war is not exactly desirable for people who live amongst ant-American extremists.