GOP ads target Reid remarks on war

Republican-funded radio ads criticizing Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid are to begin airing in Nevada today, the Republican National Committee said Monday.

The ads, scheduled to be broadcast on Las Vegas and Reno AM radio stations, feature an Army captain who served in Iraq criticizing the Nevada Democrat's statement last week that the Iraq war is "lost."

"Our troops in harm's way deserve better than to be treated like a political football by a Washington politician," Capt. Emory "Trip" Bellard states in the 30-second spot.

Bellard is a Texan who hosts a talk radio show about military issues.

Reid spokesman Jon Summers on Monday called the ad "disingenuous." He said it was the Republicans, not Reid, who were guilty of using soldiers for political purposes.

"If the RNC really cared about our troops, they would stop spending money on attack ads and use it to buy troops body armor," Summers said. "If the RNC really cared about safety of our troops, they would stop putting their politics ahead of good policy that funds our troops and changes the course of this war."

RNC spokeswoman Camille Anderson said Monday the ad was intended to bring the controversy surrounding Reid's remarks home to the senator's constituents.

The ad's purpose, she said, is "to draw attention to the fact that the Democrat leader of the United States Senate is more interested in scoring political points than supporting our troops." Voters in Reid's home state "should be aware" of the senator's "irresponsible" comments, she said.

There has been no shortage of attempted political point-scoring since Reid uttered the L-word on Thursday. He has not said the word "lost" again since, but he has said he stands behind his assessment.

Both political parties have trotted out military veterans to back up their views of the incendiary remarks.

On Friday, the Nevada Democratic Party sent an e-mail to supporters with the subject line, "It takes strength and bravery to tell the truth."

The e-mail contained a letter from Air Force veteran John Hunt, who wrote in defense of Reid's comments, "Yesterday, Senator Reid shorthanded what he has been saying for two years -- that we must change our course. ... My family has made many sacrifices. And we serve because we love our country. I know Senator Reid also loves our country, and I'm proud to stand with him as he demands a change of course in Iraq."

Hunt, who served in the Air Force in the 1970s, is a Las Vegas attorney who was an unsuccessful Democratic candidate for attorney general.

Also on Friday, a group of Democratic veterans and their families held a rally in Las Vegas demonstrating support for Reid. "We need to take an honest look at the real situation in Iraq," the group's president, Afghanistan veteran Elliot Anderson, said.

Meanwhile, members of an Army Reserve battalion about to leave Las Vegas for a stint of combat service support in Kuwait told the Review-Journal on Friday that they respectfully disagreed with Reid's view. Their stateside commander, Lt. Col. Steven Cox, accused Reid of "defeatism" and having "spoken out of turn."

On Saturday, the state Republican Party issued a condemnation of Reid's remarks from a father, friend and godfather of Iraq veterans condemning Reid's remarks.

"His despicable comments show his true character," said Bill Ferguson of Reno, whose 23-year-old son Tom is a Marine sergeant en route to Iraq. "Let me assure you, lose is not in the vocabulary of my son and the United State Marine Corps."

Ferguson is a member of the Executive Committee of the Washoe County Republican Party.