Bush urged to pull 9/11 ads
2004-03-05 18:48
New York - Families of some of the September 11 victims have appealed to President George W Bush to withdraw presidential election campaign adverts that use images from the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington.
The families said that 'Ground Zero' had become "a sacred site" that should be kept out of politics.
Rita Lasar, member of the group steering committee of September 11 Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, said: "President Bush promised that he would not use the site for political reasons. We believed and trusted him.
"He has broken his promise. To say we are outraged is true but it is much more than outrage. It's deep hurt and sorrow that any politician would seek to gain advantage by using that site."
According to the families, Bush promised in a speech in January not to use September 11 for political purposes.
Lasar, whose brother was killed in World Trade Centre attacks, urged the president to "find some other way to run a campaign without stepping on the bodies of our dead".
"Ground Zero is a sacred site," she told a press conference, along with other members from the group. "It represents the burial place of all our family members."
Bob Mcilvaine, whose 26-year-old son was killed in the towers, said: "It upsets me tremendosuly that Bobby my son is being used as a political pawn to be manipulated and at times abused. It truly makes me sick. Please, we deserve more than this."
An official commission into the September 11 attacks has been given extended time to make a report and Mcilvaine said: "Instead of parading around this country telling us how secure the country is, please tell us why this country was so insecure that 3 000 people were murdered.
"I would beseech the president to pull the ad, it's just not right," he declared.
The White House has refuted criticism of the adverts. "September 11 was a defining moment for our nation. It was an experience that all Americans shared. It is the reason we are still at war on terrorism," spokesman Scott McClellan said on Thursday.
Bush campaign advisor Karen Hughes said the adverts were a "very tasteful" portrayal of the nation's shared trauma.
- AFP