Rudi Spikes Betrayus Ad Back in MoveOn's Face

There is nothing in volleyball like a good spike. A giant player leaping with a full arm sweep arching down to blast the ball right in the opposing players face to score the point. Chalk one up for Rudi Giuliani for doing just that in the New York Times Ad war. We have read about the NYT granting a HUGE discount to MoveOn.oink in order to call General Petraeus a liar. When challenged about the favorable pricing and the damning link to liberal bias, the NYT eeked out some lame excuse about standby rates. Basically, you can get a heavy discount if you don't care what date the ad goes in and the paper ads it when there is no other advertisers to fill the space. Somehow MoveOn gets their ad in place the day that General Petraeus is testifying.

Rudi Giuliani then demands of the NYT to get the same rate in order to run a counter ad. Publicly the NYT grants the rate in a standby mode with no guarantee it will go in last Friday. Somehow, twice in the same week a standby full page ad goes in the NYT on the exact date requested. Somehow. Can you imagine the big stir if Rudi's ad did not go in after Oink's did?

Not only did Rudi score a major point in getting the NYT to give him the space and rate, the ad scored a double blow against MoveOn and Hillary Clinton. The full ad can be seen here. Rudi provides an impressive list describing the impeccable record of General Petraeus. It would have taken too much ink and space to show a countering list of Hillary Clinton's many shortcomings, so Rudi simply lets her name speak for itself by next asking:

Who should America listen to...

A decorated soldier's commitment to defending America, or Hillary Clinton's commitment to defending MoveOn.org?

With such a simple question Rudi clearly exposes the position of the Democrats as being bought and paid for by the far left groups like MoveOn. Dems like Hillary are so beholden to these groups and by their own screeching rhetoric over the last few years are so invested in defeat that they come out with claw and fang against a General who has done nothing to deserve such an attack except say something they do not like.

Rudi scores several points here. Those described above against Hillary and MoveOn. He also embodied what conservatives really wish that George W. Bush would do: respond to the screeching attacks directly and effectively. Instead of fighting by proxy and stealth, Rudi takes off his gloves and gives Hillary a bloody lip. The Dems have been engaging in no holds barred smashmouth politics since 2000. Only such direct responses as these clearly show the public the positions of both sides and will reveal a clear win of ideology. It is more important for ideas to win than for people or administrations to win. Bush should take a few lessons from Rudi on this one.