MoveOn's New Ad Hits Bush for 'Betrayal of Trust'

MoveOn.org has no regrets about a controversial ad accusing Gen. David H. Petraeus of betraying Americans with misleading claims about the Iraq war. Now the online anti-war advocacy group is going up with another ad on cable television, this one accusing President Bush of a "betrayal of trust."

The ad claims Bush is being deceptive with his new plan to withdraw up to 30,000 troops from Iraq, noting that would merely bring American troop levels back to where they were before he ordered the so-called "surge" last January.

"The gambit here is to make a big deal out of the 30,000 troops who are coming home anyway in order to keep the other 130,00 there," said Eli Pariser, MoveOn's executive director in an interview. "I don't think the public will buy that."

Pariser made no apologies for the tough tone of the Petraeus ad, which brought down the wrath of the GOP establishment.

"President Bush has been using or politicizing the military in order to make his case for the war,and somebody had to call that out," he said.

--Michael Abramowitz