ACLU Says Bush Distorted Its Positions
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NEW YORK — The American Civil Liberties Union said today that Vice President George Bush distorted its policy positions during his televised debate Sunday with Democrat Michael S. Dukakis.
When the Republican nominee was asked during the debate to justify his persistent criticism of Dukakis for being a “card-carrying member” of the ACLU, the vice president responded by calling the organization liberal and attacking some of its positions.
“I don’t want my 10-year-old granddaughter to go into an X-rated movie,” Bush said. “I don’t think they’re right to try to take the tax exemption away from the Catholic Church. I don’t want to see the kiddie pornography laws repealed. I don’t want to see ‘Under God’ come out from our currency. Now, these are all positions of the ACLU and I don’t agree with them.”
ACLU President Norman Dorsen said Bush wrongly characterized each position, and also erred in calling the ACLU liberal when it is bipartisan.
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