Health: 'Swiftboaters' vs. 'Obama's army'

Critics Call Obama's Tribunals "Bush Lite"
In an apparent reversal, President Barack Obama is reviving the Bush administration's much-criticized military tribunals for Guantanamo Bay detainees, shocking those who expected the president to end them completely.
Health: 'Swiftboaters' vs. 'Obama's army'

by Mark Silva

The "swiftboating'' has begun, the Obama forces say.

And that means the fundraising cannot be far behind.

Never mind all that talk at the White House this week about "stakeholders'' coming together to forge an agreement on healthcare reform. The fight is on.

David Plouffe, who managed President Barack Obama's campaign for president and now oversees the semi-permanent Obama campaign known as Organizing for America for the Democratic National Committee, made a fundraising appeal today to that massive Obama email base of supporters, "Obama's army,'' setting a midnight Sunday deadlinereminiscent of old Howard Dean's "raise the bat'' Internet fundraising appealsto help fight the onslaught of "swiftboating'' ads against Obama's healthcare reform.

"We knew healthcare reform would face fierce opposition -- and it's begun,'' Plouffe said in his email appeal today, likening the TV campaign of opponents to the campaign that Swift Boat Veterans for Truth ran against Democratic Sen. John Kerry in 2004. "As we speak, the same people behind the notorious "swiftboat" ads of 2004 are already pumping millions of dollars into deceptive television ads. Their plan is simple: torpedo healthcare reform before it sees the light of day by scaring the public and distorting the president's approach.''

Rick Scott, who helped fund the swiftboat ads during Kerry's camapign, is spearheading the new group, Conservatives for Patients Rights, which has aired ads warning that Congress "just never seems to learn'.'' Chairmam Scott warns that Congress is getting in line now to support Obama's $634 billion reserve fund for health care reform that relies on new taxes starting in 2011. (See a couple of the ads here.)

Conservatives for Patients' Rights reportedly is planning to spend $20 million to derail Obama's health-care reforms.

"We need the resources to take them head on with an urgent, grassroots campaign to pass real healthcare reform in 2009,'' Plouffe says in his email appeal for donate.barackobama.com today. "When the swiftboaters flood the airwaves with distortions, we'll flood the streets with volunteers armed with facts. When they send lobbyists to tell Congress to back down, we'll send millions of calls, letters, and stories from real Americans asking them to stand up.''

Guantanamo Tribunals To Resume Under New Rules

Administration officials say that military tribunals will resume this fall for a small number of Guantanamo terror suspects, but under new rules. The detainees will have greater legal protections, though tribunals will be held for only 13 of the 241 detainees at the naval base.