Politics

Activist's Bush Ad Backfires

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

March 6, 2000 / 10:54 AM EST / CBS

The woman whose voice is being heard by millions of New Yorkers this week, criticizing John McCain for voting against funding for breast cancer research, is facing a storm of controversy from fellow activists.

"With all the controversy, I am sorry I did the radio spot and it's come out the way it did," Gerri Barish told Newsday in Monday's editions.

Barish, a longtime activist who has been instrumental in raising the profile of the breast cancer issue - and in getting federal funding - also told the newspaper, "I'm not sorry about fighting against losing our research dollars."

"If you have something to say, you should say it, especially if it's one of your issues, but there are other ways of doing it besides making political ads," Barish said.

New Anti-McCain Salvo

On Monday, Connecticut coordinators for John McCain's presidential campaign condemned telephone calls being made by a pro-life political action committee, which accuses the Arizona senator of waffling on abortion issues.

The automated telephone messages, coming from the Washington, D.C.-based National Right to Life PAC, are trying to mislead voters in the Super Tuesday state, said Ben Davol, McCain's chief Connecticut coordinator.

The messages say McCain "has made conflicting statements about abortion," and would not reverse the Supreme Court's Roe vs. Wade decision.

The messages endorse Texas Gov. George W. Bush, who "has maintained a strong and consistent pro-life position both as governor and throughout this campaign.

"For the children's sake, please vote George Bush for president," the messages conclude.

The ad in question claimed the Arizona senator had opposed federal spending for breast cancer research. In a literal sense, it was accurate: McCain voted against a bill that would have allocated millions in research dollars. But records show that McCain, whose sister suffers from the disease, has supported such research in at least ten other instances during his tenure in the Senate. The omnibus bill mentioned in the ad, which McCain voted against, contained a slew of other spending measures the Arizona senator did not support.

Barish, of Baldwin, Long Island, heads the region's most powerful breast cancer advocacy group, called "1 in 9," so-named after the high incidence of breast cancer on Long Island.

Her allies, upon hearing the anti-McCain ad, are criticizing Barish fiercely, Newsday reported.

"She's usurping the power of the breast cancer movement and allowing it to be used for a candidate, and that's wrong," said Elsa Ford, president of the Brentwood/Bay Shore Breast Cancer Coalition.

Told of the criticism she s now facing, Barish said she is considering resigning as president of "1 and 9."