Dole Launches First Attack Ad

CHICAGO (AllPolitics, Aug. 26) -- GOP nominee Bob Dole continued his assault on Bill Clinton's record on fighting drug abuse, producing a new attack ad saying the president's policies imperil America's children. (1.1M QuickTime movie)

Entitled "The Threat," the new Dole ad features a segment from Lyndon Johnson's 1964 "Daisy Girl" ad, a piece that chillingly portrayed the threat to children from nuclear war.

Now, the threat is drugs, the Dole ad intones, cutting to a young teen with a crack pipe, then showing heroin and pills being exchanged, and a needle inserted in an arm. "Teenage drug use has doubled in the last 4 years," the ad states. "What's been done? ... Clinton cut the Office of National Drug Control Policy by 83 percent."

In an interview with CNN Sunday, Clinton acknowledging he had reduced funding for the drug fighting office, and that a new strategy was needed.

"Whatever we've done has not worked, and we all need to face that, but I don't know that placing political blame helps us very much," he said. "If anybody has got a better idea, I'd be happy to look at it," he added (104K AIFF or WAV sound)

Clinton and his aides insist that while drug abuse among teens is up, it's down overall. Dole says not only has Clinton not pursued a vigorous anti-drug policy, his statements about drugs have been flippant, virtually condoning drugs.

The new Dole ad begins airing Tuesday in "selected markets," along with an ad promoting the Dole-Kemp economic agenda.

Dole Launches First Attack Ad

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