Let the scare tactics begin-Update

As an update to this blog entry, where I posted about NARAL’s scare tactics via running a nasty ad against Supreme Court nominee Judge John Roberts, FactCheck has criticized this ad claiming it leaves the wrong impression of what John Roberts supports (NARAL said he supported abortion clinic bombers – surprise).  Here’s more:

Summary

An abortion-rights group is running an attack ad accusing Supreme Court nominee John Roberts of filing legal papers "supporting . . . a convicted clinic bomber" and of having an ideology that "leads him to excuse violence against other Americans." It shows images of a bombed clinic in Birmingham, Alabama.

The ad is false.

And the ad misleads when it says Roberts supported a clinic bomber. It is true that Roberts sided with the bomber and many other defendants in a civil case, but the case didn’t deal with bombing at all. Roberts argued that abortion clinics who brought the suit had no right use an 1871 federal anti-discrimination statute against anti-abortion protesters who tried to blockade clinics. Eventually a 6-3 majority of the Supreme Court agreed, too. Roberts argued that blockades were already illegal under state law.

The images used in the ad are especially misleading. The pictures are of a clinic bombing that happened nearly seven years after Roberts signed the legal brief in question.

These people have absolutely NO shame.  By hook or by crook, they won’t rest until they’ve smeared Judge John Roberts’ name in the mud.  This is almost like a pre-Borking!

Hat tip: Eugene Volokh

Captain Ed has a great post about this very misleading ad and how CNN should be ashamed for showing it here (8/10/05 Update: Fox is going to air it too :().     Patterico also has a must-read post about the NARAL ad and the LA Times article on it.  The Unalienable Right weighs in.  Jim at bRight and Early shares his thoughts.

8/10/05 Update: Michelle Malkin links up to a piece in the WSJ by Manuel Miranda that takes NARAL to task for this disgusting distortion.

More: Mark Noonan at Blogs for Bush:

The only thing missing, of course, is a forthright denunciation of the NARAL ad by any leftwing organization. If you’ve found one, let me know – I will note their actions and applaud it; but I’m not going to hold my breath.

Me either.

Afternoon update: ArizonaTeach makes a good point here in the comments section re: the media and political ads.

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