Anti-War Group Revives "Daisy" Ad Campaign January 15, 2003
By Ian Stewart, Associated Press Writer
The original Daisy ad aired only once, during the 1964 presidential race. Produced by the campaign of incumbent Lyndon B. Johnson, it depicted a 6-year-old girl plucking petals from a daisy - along with a missile launch countdown and then a nuclear mushroom cloud. The suggestion was that if elected president, Republican Barry Goldwater might lead the United States to a nuclear war with the Soviet Union. Goldwater lost by a wide margin.
The 2003 version follows the same format, with an added montage of scenes of military escalation: burning oil wells, tanks in the battlefield, wounded soldiers, chaotic protests in a foreign city and an ambulance racing through U.S. streets. Then, a similar mushroom cloud, and the screen goes to black, with a dire warning: "War with Iraq. Maybe it will end quickly. Maybe not. Maybe it will spread. Maybe extremists will take over countries with nuclear weapons. Maybe the unthinkable."
Then, another "10... 9... 8...," countdown, and a final message: "Maybe that's why the overwhelming majority of Americans say to President Bush: let the inspections work."
MoveOn.org's leaders hope the ad will enliven the debate on the specter of war - and persuade Americans to oppose a military solution in Iraq.
”We're playing with matches in a tinderbox," Eli Pariser, MoveOn.org's international campaign director said. "We wanted to run an ad that would highlight that very real possibility and help encourage a national discussion about the consequences of war."
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