New Bush Spot Focuses on Leadership in Times of Crisis

George Bush’s campaign released its 12th ad of the general election campaign Friday. The Bush campaign did not reveal where or how often the ad would run, but generally it has purchased a mix of national network TV and local TV ad time.

The Ad: The spot opens with footage of the war against Iraq. George Bush’s voice is heard from a speech to the nation relating the beginning of the air war. The image shifts to pictures from the Soviet coup, and a female voice narrates: “President Bush said today that he reassured Mr. Yeltsin the United States would stand by democracy.” The image shifts to pictures of the Iranian hostage crisis from 1979, then to an empty Oval Office, the camera zooming slowly toward an empty chair behind the President’s desk. “In a world where we’re just one unknown dictator away from the next major crisis, who do you most trust to be sitting in this chair?” the narrator asks.

Analysis: Although the ad makes no precise factual claims, it may leave a slight misimpression. Bush took a wait-and-see attitude at his first press conference following the Soviet coup before strongly denouncing the coup later in the day.