Opinion: Now MoveOn sees Rudy betraying trust

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Yet another barrage today in the Battle of Betrayals.

You may remember a week ago MoveOn.org, the militant leftist group, greeted the start of congressional testimony by U.S. Iraq commander Gen. David Petraeus by purchasing a full-page ad in the New York Times, suggesting the general was ‘cooking the books’ for the White House and calling him ‘Gen. Betray Us.’

Both Rudy Giuliani and John McCain responded by attacking the ad and calling on Democrats to repudiate the charge. None did. Seizing the opening, Giuliani bought his own ad calling for statesmanship over ‘politicians spewing political venom.’

But now MoveOn is firing back with another ad, this one in Iowa, accusing the former New York mayor of a ‘betrayal of trust’ for quitting the Iraq Study Group and giving up the chance to affect war policy in order to continue his lucrative speaking engagements.

The ad from the leftwing MoveOn is improbably addressed to Republicans, who’ve made Giuliani the national GOP frontrunner in large measure for his reputation for municipal leadership, especially immediately following 9/11. But the ad text sounds more like it’s intended for antiwar Democrats. ‘Rudy Giuliani has always been a big fan of George Bush’s war in Iraq.’ ‘Republican voters should ask Giuliani: where were you when it counted?’

The Giuliani campaign suggested the ad may actually help him with Republicans in Iowa, where polls show Mitt Romney leading the GOP field.

‘Being attacked by the Democratic character assassination machine MoveOn.org is something Rudy Giuliani will wear as a badge of honor,’ said Katie Levinson, communications director. ‘This is, after all, the same liberal group whose website compared President Bush to Adolf Hitler, the same liberal group that wanted no military response against the Taliban in Afghanistan in the aftermath of Sept. 11 and the same liberal group that consistently opposes funding for our troops in the theater of war.’

To be continued, it would seem.

* UPDATE: Now MoveOn is trying to take it national, albeit with only a $50,000 ad buy on CNN -- obviously hoping for free media mentions like this one.

--Andrew Malcolm