The new anti-Allen West attack ad: 2012's nastiest race just got nastier
First, Rep. West hammered Democrat Patrick Murphy for his 2003 arrest after a bar brawl. Now, Murphy fires back by cataloging West's alleged war crimes
![In a brutal new campaign ad from his Democratic challenger, Rep. Allen West's (R-Fla.) war hero credentials are called into question.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/kzpSdbNvGCYGfvD7GtNYyH-415-80.jpg)
The video: Democrat Patrick Murphy is hitting back hard against a ferocious ad released last week by his opponent, Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.). West's brutal ad spotlighted Murphy's 2003 arrest for a drunken bar fight, pointing out that it happened at a time when West, then a lieutenant colonel in the Army, was preparing to go to war. Now, Murphy is trying to turn West's war-hero cred against him by focusing on the incident that ended West's military career. According to a military review, West fired a gun next to an Iraqi policeman's head after having the man beaten. In the ad (watch it below), the announcer says West "was criminally charged with violating the Uniform Code of Military Justice; found guilty of three counts of aggravated assault; and relieved of his command." West had to pay a fine but wasn't court-martialed, though the ad notes that if West had been court-martialed, he could have faced 11 years in prison. The commercial concludes: "Allen West: He just isn't who he says he is."
The reaction: "Patrick Murphy is a spoiled brat," says West campaign manager Tim Edson, "and a truly terrible person." Well then, says Rachel Weiner at The Washington Post. West's tight re-election battle was already "one of the nastiest in the country," and if this flare-up is any indication, it's going to get a whole lot nastier by the time election day finally arrives. Hey, Murphy had to do something to counter the "Call of Duty-esque premise" of the ad West used to portray him as a drunken kid, says Rosie Gray at BuzzFeed. And accusing West of being a borderline war criminal certainly "puts a dent in West's war hero reputation." Maybe, but it also might be "one punch too many" from Murphy, says Charles P. Pierce at Esquire. He could have simply used West's wacky rants about communists and women to paint the Tea Party firebrand as "a fool." Now "Congressman Crazeehead" gets to spend the rest of the campaign portraying himself as a war veteran being maligned by a kid who never put on a uniform. Judge for yourself:
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
The Week Unwrapped: The dark world of illicit gambling
Podcast Plus, the pension pot shortfall and Obama's silence on Harris
By The Week Staff Published
-
Leonora Carrington: Rebel Visionary – an exhibition of 'unearthly delights'
The 'captivating' show features over 70 pieces spanning everything from paintings to tapestries
By The Week UK Published
-
Patrick Bishop picks his five favourite books
The acclaimed historian chooses works by Ernest Hemingway, Richard Cobb and more
By The Week UK Published
-
How could J.D. Vance impact the special relationship?
Today's Big Question Trump's hawkish pick for VP said UK is the first 'truly Islamist country' with a nuclear weapon
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Biden, Trump urge calm after assassination attempt
Speed Reads A 20-year-old gunman grazed Trump's ear and fatally shot a rally attendee on Saturday
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Supreme Court rejects challenge to CFPB
Speed Read The court rejected a conservative-backed challenge to the way the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is funded
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion ban
Speed Read The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling Bibles
Speed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The debate about Biden's age and mental fitness
In Depth Some critics argue Biden is too old to run again. Does the argument have merit?
By Grayson Quay Published
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?
Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By The Week UK Published