GOP’s ‘Bizarre And Weird’ ‘Rat AD’

WASHINGTON – George W. Bush dismissed allegation that the Republicans fleetingly inserted the word “rats” as a subliminal message in an ad criticizing Al Gore’s Medicare plan.

Bush said he took the word of the ad maker that no subliminal message was intended – misspronoucing the word “subliminal” a few times. Democratic vice presidential candidate Joseph Lieberman called the ad “very disappointing and strange.”

Alex Castellanos, who made the ad for the Republican National Committee, said he flashed the word – as part of “bureaucrats” – so it would look more visually interesting, and that it was just a coincidence that the letters appearing first spelled out “rats.”

“I am convinced this is not intentional,” Bush said as he arrived in Orlando for a day of campaigning in Florida. “You don’t need to play, you know, cute politics.”

As for the idea of subliminal messages, he said, “To put people’s minds at ease … this kind of practice is not acceptable.”

“Conspiracy theories abound in American politics,” Bush said. “I don’t think we need to be subliminal about prescription drugs.”

The ad has run for more than two weeks in several states, touts Bush’s plan for adding prescription drugs to Medicare, arguing that senior citizens will have more control over their health care under Bush’s proposal. Under Gore’s plan, the ad says, the program will be run by bureaucrats.

Words flash on the screen to echo the announcer’s message: “The Gore prescription plan: Bureaucrats decide.”

As the announcer says “Bureaucrats decide,” the word “rats,” in large capital letters, flashes on and off the screen just as the phrase “Bureaucrats decide,” appears.

Democrats are trying to make a case out of nothing, said Terry Holt, spokesman for Victory 2000, which represents the Bush campaign at the RNC.

The Bush campaign was equally dismissive. “It sounds like happy hour at the Gore campaign lasted a little too long,” said Bush spokesman Ari Fleischer. And, referring to decades-old buzz about a Beatles song, he added: “If you play the ad backward, you hear the words “Paul is dead.”