Both
of these pieces are classic attack ads; both are pointedly clever in advancing
their causes; neither really required anything approaching serious ‘research’.
The first is from the campaign of Republican George Bush Sr. in 1988, attacking
the defense policy orientations of Democrat Michael Dukakis. Remarkably, the
footage was shot by the Democrats as part of their campaign, and then ‘borrowed’
by the Republicans, who added a voice-over from movie idol Charlton Heston.
The second is from the campaign of Republican George Bush Sr. four years later,
attacking the character of Democrat Bill Clinton. Here, it is Republicans who
‘borrow’ the final voice-over, from none other than candidate Clinton
himself.
