Liberal group runs anti-war ad, urges Congress not to strike

WASHINGTON – A new TV ad that urges Congress to oppose U.S. military strikes against Syria underscores the difficulty President Barack Obama is having in getting war-weary liberals to support him.

The 30-second ad by the liberal activist group MoveOn.org says the U.S. didn’t set out to spend eight years at war in Iraq and a decade in Afghanistan and predicts the same thing will happen if Congress approves Obama’s desired military action in Syria.

The ad, titled “Not Again,” concludes by telling Congress, “Don’t lead us down this road again.”

The full Senate could vote by the end of this week on whether to give Obama authority to use military force, though many lawmakers in both parties are opposed to doing so.

MoveOn said the ad will air this week on MSNBC, with a heavier rotation around Obama’s planned address to the nation Tuesday night.

MoveOn was one of Obama’s biggest campaign supporters, but Anna Galland, its executive director, said in an interview Saturday that the organization is following the will of its members. During a recent 24-hour vote, more than 70 percent of MoveOn’s members came out against military strikes, she said.

Galland said the group “will stand closely” with Obama on other issues, such as the implementation of his health care law. But on Syria, “we had a very clear mandate from our members to go out strongly on this,” she said.

Associated Press