1115.org

The headline on msnbc.com almost seemed too good to be true — after keeping a low profile on the subject, President Bush had finally gone on record to denounce the anti-Kerry ads of The Swift Boat Veterans For Truth. “Bush calls for halt to Swift Boat veterans’ ads”, the headline screamed in bright red type. But, as with many things in the Bush Administration, the flashy slogan was an effective distraction from actual substance. Bush never expressly condemned or called for the end of the Swift Boat Ads. Instead, he tried to move the media’s focus from the Swift Boat group’s attacks to the broader issue of political advertising by all so-called “527″ groups:

Speaking to reporters at his Texas ranch, Bush said he has repeatedly condemned 527 ads. These groups are named for the federal provision that makes such organizations tax exempt and allows them to accept unlimited donations.

One reporter cited the swift boat ads and asked, “When you say that you want to stop all –” “All of them,” Bush responded. “That means that ad, every other ad. Absolutely. I don’t think we ought to have 527s.”

This is a bold statement, certainly meant to aim the spotlight away from the Bush Administration and onto John Kerry and liberal-leaning organizations such as moveon.org and ACT. It’s a clever strategy which lets Bush take advantage of the Swift Vets’ tactics and accusations (which have been melting faster than the bad guy in Raiders of the Lost Ark) while positioning himself as a steadfast champion of campaign finance reform.

Like I said, it’s a neat trick—and one that only works if you ignore the fact that Bush benefits from a gaggle of Republican-leaning 527s such as the National Federation for Republican Women, Progress For America, the Republican Governors Association (the second-largest 527 in the country), or The National Republican Congressional Committee and National Republican Senatorial Committee (which recently raised $24 million for the President at a single event in July). And don’t forget organizations such as the Club For Growth, which is financially backed by notable conservatives such as Richard Mellon Scaife, pharmaceutical executive Dan Searle, money man Charles Schwab and our favorite former exterminator, Tom DeLay. It might be part of the Republican talking points to whine about George Soros, but BOTH parties are feeding from the 527 trough.

Even if you overlook the fact that Bush’s campaign is just as reliant on 527 groups as John Kerry’s, the comments look even stranger when you compare them to his previous stands on campaign finance reform. In the 2000 primaries, Bush was strongly opposed John McCain’s version of campaign finacnce reform. When the McCain-Feingold campaign finance bill proved too popular to ignore, Bush made the following statement when he reluctantly signed the bill into law:

However, the bill does have flaws. Certain provisions present serious constitutional concerns. In particular, H.R. 2356 goes farther than I originally proposed by preventing all individuals, not just unions and corporations, from making donations to political parties in connection with Federal elections.

I believe individual freedom to participate in elections should be expanded, not diminished; and when individual freedoms are restricted, questions arise under the First Amendment.

I also have reservations about the constitutionality of the broad ban on issue advertising, which restrains the speech of a wide variety of groups on issues of public import in the months closest to an election. I expect that the courts will resolve these legitimate legal questions as appropriate under the law. (emphasis added)

Some of our observant readers might qualify this as a flip-flop. But does anyone really believe that Bush will follow through in his push to muzzle all 527 groups? Considering how deeply they are ingrained in the political maneuvers of both parties, the odds must hover between “slim” and “none”. But it sure sounds good in a soundbite, and it puts Kerry on the defensive. Meanwhile, Bush can slide away from taking any firm position on the specific issue of the Swift Vets’ advertisements…ads that will continue to run until funding runs out or the public gets sick of them.

It’s a slight-of-hand that the administration has pulled off time and time again, like the three-card monte dealer on a Manhattan corner. Pity the media so often plays the part of the small-town rube who gets cheated.