Politico has the goods:
Sen. Barack Obama has launched an all-out effort to block a Republican billionaire’s efforts to tie him to domestic and foreign terrorists in a wave of negative television ads.
Obama’s campaign has written the Department of Justice demanding a criminal investigation of the “American Issues Project,” the vehicle through which Dallas investor Harold Simmons is financing the advertisements. The Obama campaign — and tens of thousands of supporters — also is pressuring television networks and affiliates to reject the ads. The effort has met with some success: CNN and Fox News are not airing the attacks.
[...]
One large group of network affiliates, the Sinclair Broadcast Group – which aired an documentary attacking John Kerry in 2004 — has been running the ads, Obama aides said. The campaign has launched a special effort to pressure Sinclair.
“Obama supporters have now sent more than 93,000 e-mails to the Sinclair stations that have decided to run the ad,” said Obama’s spokesman Tommy Vietor. “Other stations that follow Sinclair’s lead should expect a similar response from people who don’t want the political discourse cheapened with these false, negative attacks.”
[...]
Its financier, Simmons, who made his first fortune in chain pharmacies, was a major donor to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, the group that damaged Kerry in 2004 by questioning his patriotism.
I have to say, this is the first I’ve heard of this ad or a letter-writing campaign targeting Sinclair. But it was completely, 100% predictable. I was wondering when this particular confluence of crap was going to rear its ugly head. Who wants to bet there will be a "Stolen Honor”-style biopic ready for broadcast on Sinclair stations two weeks before election day?
Wake Up America has posted the ad for anyone who wants to see it. It’s pretty dang sleazy, if you ask me. It fabricates a “relationship” between Obama and Weather Underground member William Ayers, which the Washington Post debunks.
It’s SOP that conservatives will wade neck-deep in the mud to win elections, attacking Democrats’ patriotism and labeling us with their favorite slurs: anti-American, eltist, DFH, slacker, welfare queen, terrorist, you name it. We knew this was coming.
What’s truly reprehensible is that a corporation like Sinclair will misuse the public airwaves to spread lies and deception to further a political agenda. That’s a violation of public trust.
I am so waiting for the day when we can yank these clowns' license.
