Thompson says he will pull Medicare ad if investigators say it's political

Thompson says he will pull Medicare ad if investigators say it's political

MARK SHERMAN, Associated Press Writer
Thursday, February 12, 2004




(02-12) 14:56 PST WASHINGTON (AP) --

Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson said Thursday he will pull a taxpayer-funded television ad on the new Medicare law from the airwaves if congressional investigators determine it is political.

The 30-second ad, titled "Same Medicare. More Benefits," has prompted strong criticism from Democratic lawmakers and a range of interest groups who say it is a barely disguised commercial for President Bush's re-election campaign.

"It reads like a political spot," Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., told Thompson at a Senate Budget Committee hearing.

HHS is spending $9.5 million to air the ad on network and cable television through March. A media firm with ties to Bush's re-election effort, National Media Inc. of Alexandria, Va., also is working on the Medicare campaign.
(snip/...)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2004/02/12/national1728EST0763.DTL

Investigations with this administration takes so long that everyone that views the ad now will be eligible for medicare by the time the investigation is complete.

:shrug:

he'll pull it if he's told to do so by the investigators...

LOL...