Adwatch: Richardson raps rivals on Iraq

[Ron Burgundy]

AP - TITLE: "All Out."

LENGTH: 30 seconds.

AIRING: Iowa and New Hampshire.

SCRIPT: Announcer: "Is there a difference between the Democrats on Iraq? There's a big difference. Bill Richardson's the only major candidate with a plan, endorsed by military and diplomatic leaders, to remove all of our troops. Hillary Clinton, John Edwards and Barack Obama have repeatedly said they'll leave thousands of troops in Iraq indefinitely, even beyond 2013."

Gov. Bill Richardson: "I'm Bill Richardson and I approved this message because I'll get all our troops out of Iraq. That's the only way to end the war."

KEY IMAGES: The ad begins with pictures of Clinton, Obama, Richardson and Edwards during a debate, along with background video of marching troops and the words "Difference on Iraq?" The ad cuts to video of Richardson meeting with soldiers, lists ambassadors and retired generals who support his plan and points to a new campaign Web site — http://www.TheDifferenceOnIraq.com. It cuts back to pictures of his three leading rivals and long lists of news articles saying they would keep troops in Iraq. The ad closes with video of Richardson standing on a rural road, speaking into the camera.

ANALYSIS: This is a rare Democratic ad that criticizes a candidate's rivals by name. Clinton, Edwards and Obama are in a tight three-way contest for the Iowa caucus on Jan. 3, with Richardson trailing in a distant fourth place. He's been trying to set himself apart for months by arguing that he's the only candidate who would bring home all the troops from Iraq, and the ad is an added effort in the final two weeks of a race in which the party's caucusgoers are overwhelmingly opposed to the war.

Obama, Clinton and Edwards said in a debate three months ago that while they plan to end the war in Iraq, they cannot guarantee to pull out all U.S. combat troops by the end of the next presidential term in 2013. They say some troops would have to stay to protect the American Embassy or for other duties. Richardson has said that's not really ending the war.

The ad was produced by veteran ad makers Steve Murphy and Mark Putnam, who also were responsible for earlier spots touting Richardson's experience. But Richardson's poll numbers have not moved significantly since those ads aired over the summer.

The campaign is spending $174,180 to run the new ad for the first four days in Iowa and an additional $15,000 in New Hampshire. The ad is scheduled to stop airing on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in reflection of the holiday, then go back up through the Jan. 3 caucus.

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Analysis by Associated Press Writer Nedra Pickler.

source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071219/ap_on_el_pr/richardson_adwatch [link]