Dem ads to target Terry vote

WASHINGTON — Previewing a likely 2010 campaign theme, Democrats plan to air radio ads in Omaha this week criticizing Rep. Lee Terry for his vote against a supplemental war funding bill.

The Republican congressman said last week that his support for members of the military and their families is clear and that the "no" vote in question was prompted by pork that Democrats included to secure votes from their own members, along with a massive line of credit authorized for the International Monetary Fund.

The ads are paid for by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which is expected to make Terry one of its prime targets in this election cycle.

The focus of the ads is a $106 billion supplemental bill approved earlier this month that included funding for U.S. military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The ads cite Terry's past support for similar funding measures and question why he opposed this year's supplemental.

"Seems like Terry is playing politics now," the narrator of the ads says.

In a statement, the campaign committee highlighted funds in the bill to provide military families access to child care, financial counseling and other support. A committee spokeswoman said Terry put politics ahead of the military families at Offutt Air Force Base by opposing the bill.

The legislation also included $5 billion to set up a $108 billion line of credit to the IMF for poor countries struggling with the global recession. Terry said the United States might never see that $108 billion again.

State Sen. Tom White is giving serious consideration to running against Terry and said he could make a decision in the next couple of weeks.

He criticized Terry for voting against the supplemental funding bill.

White said that he didn't know enough about the IMF loan provision to take a position on it but that it would be tough to include anything in the legislation that would have prompted him to oppose funding for troops and their families.

"That's the big leagues — there's always going to be stuff in the bill you don't like. The question is do you don't like that more than you like the soldiers?" White said.

Terry said Democrats have made similar attacks against him in previous elections without success. He voted last week for a bill authorizing defense programs that included a boost in military pay.

Terry said members of the military and veterans know that he has their back.

"They sit there and think ‘God, Lee Terry has carried all of the water for us and then somebody comes around and says Lee Terry's not good for us — we don't buy it,'" Terry said.

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