Feeney Plays The 9/11 Card

Feeney Plays the 9/11 Card

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10/21/2008

Florida Republican Rep. Tom Feeney, already in deep electoral trouble this fall, has a new ad up in which he seeks to tie his Democratic opponent to the ringleader of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks -- a huge gamble that speaks to the desperation of his circumstances.

Here's the ad:

Click Here (GooTube)

As the ad's narrator says that "Feeney is fighting to protect our borders" and that former state Rep. Suzanne Kosmas (D) "wanted drivers' licenses for illegals and terrorists," an image of the license of Mohamed Atta, the head of the 9/11 attacks, is shown on screen.

Using any imagery that subtly or, in this case, not so subtly conjures the attacks of 9/11 is dangerous ground for politicians. Former Ohio Sen. Mike DeWine (R) used an image of the Twin Towers burning during his 2006 campaign against Democrat Sherrod Brown, a tactic for which he was heavily criticized because of the inflammatory nature of the ad and the fact that the picture he used was not an actual photo from that day.

For Feeney, the decision to all but accuse Kosmas of aiding and abetting Atta is evidence of how much trouble he is in electorally. While Republican strategists have been worried about the seat for the better part of a year, Feeney himself looks to have been caught off guard.

A recent Democratic poll showed Kosmas up more than 20 points and it's hard not to see this ad as a last-ditch attempt to fundamentally alter the race.

Will it work? Our strong sense is it won't.