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Using Hitler to Make a Political Point

Presidential campaign ads on both ends of the political spectrum feature an unlikely player: Adolph Hitler. In a contest called "Bush in 30 Seconds," the liberal Web site MoveOn.org asked people to create homemade political ads opposing President Bush. The site posted about 1,500 entries, including two that compared the president to the German dictator. It removed the ads, but now the Bush-Cheney campaign is citing them in its own commercial.

Last week, the Bush-Cheney reelection campaign resurrected the ads, including clips in a Bush-Cheney spot called "Coalition of the Wild-Eyed." That ad juxtaposes clips of former Vice President Al Gore, Rep. Richard Gephardt, filmmaker Michael Moore and other supporters of Sen. John Kerry angrily denouncing Bush. The ad concludes with a photograph of the president and the words, "President Bush: It's a time for optimism, steady leadership, and progress."

NPR's Ari Shapiro reports on the controversial ads.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Ari Shapiro has been one of the hosts of All Things Considered, NPR's award-winning afternoon newsmagazine, since 2015. During his first two years on the program, listenership to All Things Considered grew at an unprecedented rate, with more people tuning in during a typical quarter-hour than any other program on the radio.