WASHINGTON - March 30 - A new television ad by MoveOn PAC, criticizing President Bush for downgrading the threat of terrorism prior to 9/11, will begin to air nationwide tonight on CNN and FOX.

The ad features a quotation from former Bush counter-terrorism chief Richard Clarke and includes images from Bush’s campaign commercials which exploited the tragedy of 9/11.

A fundraising appeal went out last Wednesday to MoveOn PAC’s 2 million subscribers. In less than three days, the PAC raised $1 million from 23,000 donors, with an average contribution of $44. A storyboard of the ad was sent to political reporters last week before Richard Clarke finished testifying before the 9/11 Commission.

“With millions of jobs lost and rising healthcare costs, the only thing this administration has left to run on is its supposed leadership in combating terrorism. Now we know that there too, the administration dropped the ball,” said Eli Pariser, MoveOn PAC Executive Director. “This ad strikes at the core of Bush’s case for re-election.”

MoveOn PAC plans to run a second Clarke ad in upcoming weeks.

“Given the many striking revelations that Mr. Clarke has made about the Bush administration’s use of intelligence and the incredibly strong response from our members, we are planning a second ad to fall on this one’s heels,” said Pariser.

The ad can be viewed at www.MoveOnPAC.org.

Script:

[Images from Bush’s campaign commercials that exploit the tragedy of 9/11 appear throughout the spot and an image of George Bush walking across the screen.]

ANNCR: George Bush shamelessly exploited 9/11 in his campaign commercials.

ANNCR: Now his own counter-terrorism expert, a man who has worked for every president…

ANNCR: since Ronald Reagan says, “Frankly, I find it outrageous…

ANNCR: …that a president is running for re-election…

ANNCR: …on the grounds that he’d done such great things on terrorism…

ANNCR: He ignored terrorism for months,

ANNCR: ….when maybe we could have done something…

ANNCR: …to stop 9/11.”

ANNCR: George Bush. A failure of leadership.

###