| The ad: “Seattle Crowd,” a 30-second commercial by incumbent Cathy McMorris’ campaign, criticizes Democrat Peter Goldmark on two points. It shows photos of him and Mike Lowry, and has a voice-over saying that while he was in the then-governor’s Cabinet he “worked with Lowry to increase state taxes by over $1.1 billion. … He was the tax man even way back then.” It switches to a different issue with text and a voice that says “Goldmark says George Bush and the Republicans caused 9/11. Think about that: Peter Goldmark believes 9/11 was America’s fault.” To back up the claim on the 2001 terrorist attacks, it cites the Oct. 6 edition of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. A column that day, which is not shown in the ad, quotes Goldmark as saying “9/11 was directly attributable to George Bush and the Republican administration.” |
| Goldmark campaign reaction: A spokesman said that as state agriculture director, Goldmark had nothing to do with taxes, and inherited a budget. Lowry, in a recent interview, said he recalls no tax discussions with Goldmark. On Sept. 11, the campaign released a statement from columnist Joel Connelly, who said the quote is taken out of context and the ad is “stretching the truth to the breaking point.” Goldmark was discussing a recent book on Bush and Iraq by Bob Woodward, the columnist said, and talking about FBI Director George Tenet’s warning to national security adviser Condoleezza Rice of an impending al-Qaida attack. | McMorris campaign response: A spokeswoman defends the linkage of Goldmark to Lowry and the 1993 tax increase because as a Cabinet member “he had a voice” in budget discussions. State agriculture funding went from $23 million to $13 million the same year that taxes went up, spokeswoman Jill Strait said. On Sept. 11, she notes that Connelly does say that those are Goldmark’s words, so the citation is accurate, and whatever the context, “he still said it.” The president and his administration represent America, she added. “If he believes that George Bush and his White House was responsible for 9/11, then I think it’s fair to say he believes it’s America’s fault,” she said. |
