Some words of advice for President Bush from some experts in political campaign ads.

Dear President Bush,

We have been following the controversy surrounding one of your television ads. We feel it would be in the best interest of your campaign and the country to avoid such controversies in the future. To assist you in this matter, we have drawn up the following guidelines for campaign ads:
-Avoid ads that discuss 9/11, terrorism, or national security (these tend to scare people).
-Avoid ads that criticize your opponent's legislative record as this tends to promote partisanship.
-Avoid ads that criticize your opponent's conduct after returning from Vietnam (it was such a long time ago, after all).
-Avoid ads that question your opponent's decisiveness. Some issues are just too complicated to take only one side.
-If your opponent criticizes you for taking too many vacations, fight the temptation to point out that he has missed almost every vote in the Senate this year. Doing so would make you look vindicative.
-Don't air ads that imply that your opponent would make a less than wonderful president. Too judgmental.
-Don't air ads that state or imply that you are better qualified for the job. Too arrogant.
-Don't air ads that outline your economic policies. Your opponent may not have any, and ads like this would make it look like you are gloating.
-Don't reply to anything you may perceive as negative that your opponent may say about you. Just smile and appear gracious.

If you follow the above guidelines, this year's election will be a positive experience for everyone. Remember, it's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game. Good luck.

Sincerely,
Your friends at the DNC.