Relatives of 9/11 victims call Bush ads in poor taste
LIZ SIDOTI, Associated Press Writer
Thursday, March 4, 2004
©2004 Associated Press
(03-04) 10:10 PST WASHINGTON (AP) --
President Bush's day-old campaign commercials drew sharp criticism Thursday from relatives of the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and a firefighters union with ties to Democratic rival John Kerry demanded they be pulled from the air.
The White House defended the ads, which include images of the destroyed World Trade Center and firefighters bearing a stretcher through the rubble.
"It makes me sick," said Colleen Kelly, who lost her brother Bill Kelly Jr. in the attacks and leads a victims families group called Peaceful Tomorrows. "Would you ever go to someone's grave site and use that as an instrument of politics? That truly is what Ground Zero represents to me." [P6: emphasis added]
In Bal Harbour, Fla., the International Association of Fire Fighters Union approved a resolution asking the Bush campaign to pull the ads, spokesman Jeff Zack said. The resolution also urges Bush to "apologize to the families of firefighters killed on 9/11 for demeaning the memory of their loved ones in an attempt to curry support for his re-election." The union gave Kerry an early endorsement in the presidential race.