Edwards Campaign Press Release - Edwards Uses First Media Buy To Urge Congress To Stand Firm Against President Bush On Iraq

Launches Groundbreaking, Multimedia Ad

By Using YouTube Technology, Americans from Across The Country Will Be Able To Participate in New, Innovative Ad Airing on TV and Web

Chapel Hill, North Carolina – Following President Bush's veto of the Iraq funding bill, Senator John Edwards and people across the country are joining together to urge Congress to stand firm against the President in a new, groundbreaking ad. The ad, which will run in the Washington, D.C. media market and on the John Edwards website and YouTube, features regular Americans calling on Congress to stand up to President Bush and send him the same Iraq funding bill again and again until he signs it and brings the war to an end.

"President Bush vetoed a bill that supports our troops and ends the war in Iraq that he declared won four years ago," said Edwards. "Congress needs to stand firm and strong. Congress should answer the president's veto by sending him another bill with a timetable for withdrawal. And if he vetoes that one, Congress should send him another and another until we end this war and bring our troops home."

Edwards launched his campaign for the presidency by asking Americans to take action today to change our country. He is continuing this call by asking Americans to record their own personal messages urging Congress to stand up to President Bush. After the first cut of the ad airs, the John Edwards for President campaign will then incorporate these messages into future versions of the ad, which will be posted on the John Edwards website and YouTube. Edwards' new, innovative ad does more than spread Edwards' message and keep pressure on Congress, it allows the American people to directly share their messages with Congress in an unprecedented way, and shows Congress that this message is not just from him, but from the American people.

The campaign will also ask Americans to speak out against the war by donating money to air the ad. Last week, Edwards launched an emergency online petition to Congress by sending a national email and putting up blog ads. The petition urges Congress to not back down against President Bush, and has already gathered over 87,000 signatures. The campaign continues to use the latest technology to get more Americans involved in the campaign, because Edwards believes that in order to change our country, we all need to stand up and take action today.

The script of the ad is below:

Person 1: President Bush isn't listening to us.

Person 2: It's time to end the war.

Person 3: Congress passed a plan to end it.

Person 4: And bring our troops home.

Person 5: But the President vetoed it.

Person 6: We want Congress to know

Person 7: We are with you.

Person 8: Don't back down to President Bush.

Person 1: Send him the same bill again and again.

Person 9: We the people

Person 9: Will stand with you.

Person 2: Because stopping a President who believes he can do no wrong

Person 1: -- takes people with courage to do what's right.

John Edwards: I'm John Edwards and I approve this message.