They Put Coffins In Their Ad For Purely Political Purposes. We Put Coffins In Ours Because We're Patriots

Republicans went nuts last summer when the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee used images of flag-draped coffins in a political ad that questioned Republican leadership.

The June Web ad, titled "America Needs a New Direction," featured a montage of troubling images, including Iraq war photos and coffins being loaded into a military transport plane. At the time, Republicans demanded the DCCC remove the ad and apologize.

"It makes my stomach turn to see national Democrats so blatantly exploit the sacrifices made by the men and women of our armed forces," Tom Reynolds, chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, told reporters. "It takes a galling level of smug self-righteousness for [DCCC Chairman] Rahm Emanuel to invoke our honored dead one day and put their coffins in an ad the next."

The ad, which was emailed to Democratic supporters, never made it on TV and was soon removed from the DCCC Website.

Six months later, the coffins are back--in a GOP ad.

Heading into the final weekend of the campaign, the NRCC has gone on the air in Georgia with a spot attacking Democratic Rep. John Barrow on homeland security issues. At one point during the ad, an image flashes to rows of television screens displaying rows of flag-draped coffins. An announcer intones, "Barrow is funded by an organization that used coffins of dead American soldiers in a fundraising ad."

Barrow, who faces a tough race against former Rep. Max Burns (whom he defeated two years ago), has called the ad "utter hypocrisy." Burns himself has demanded the NRCC remove the ad immediately.

"It is unacceptable for them to use American soldiers' coffins in my advertising," Burns told the Associated Press. But a NRCC spokesman says the party has "no plans to take it down," noting that the ad is "completely independent of Burns."