On the September 9 edition of Fox News' The Beltway Boys, co-host Morton M. Kondracke, executive editor of Roll Call, aired portions of two advertisements about the “war on terror” by organizations he identified only as “basically pro-defense groups” -- one by Progress for America (PFA) and another by the Center for Security Policy (CSP) -- without noting their misrepresentations of the criticism directed at the Bush administration over its conduct of the “war on terror” and the war in Iraq.

The portion of the PFA advertisement that Kondracke aired asserted that the United States “narrowly escaped another 9-11,” referring to the alleged terrorist plot to blow up multiple airliners traveling from the United Kingdom to the United States, “using proven surveillance that some would stop,” as the on-screen text read: “Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.” The ad appeared to suggest that critics of the Bush administration's warrantless domestic surveillance program oppose the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). In fact, as Media Matters for America has noted, it is the Bush administration that has apparently violated FISA by authorizing the National Security Agency (NSA) to conduct surveillance of U.S. citizens and legal residents without obtaining a warrant from the FISA court; critics of the program argue that this program is illegal and wiretapping should be conducted consistent with FISA. Even if the ad were warning that critics “would stop” the administration's use of warrantless surveillance, instead of FISA itself, the claim that the warrantless wiretapping prevented “another 9-11” is baseless; as FactCheck.org noted in its analysis of the “misleading” PFA ad, and Media Matters has also noted, there is no evidence that warrantless wiretapping in the United States helped stop the U.K. terror plot.

The portion of the CSP advertisement that Kondracke aired presented a straw man argument: “Some people seem to think ... that if we retreat, our terrorist enemies will leave us alone.” The June 16, 2005, Boston Globe article that was cited on the screen as this claim was made did not include any assertion that leaving Iraq would cause a reduction in terrorist attacks, nor did anyone in the article use the word “retreat.” The CSP ad echoes Vice President Dick Cheney, who, as Media Matters documented, asserted during an August 28 speech that "[s]ome in our own country claim retreat from Iraq would satisfy the appetite of the terrorists and get them to leave us alone." But Cheney did not identify a single critic of the Iraq war who has argued that withdrawing from Iraq would “get [terrorists] to leave us alone.”

As Media Matters documented, PFA's self-described mission in November 2005 was to “advance a conservative legislative agenda to reform Social Security, confirm President Bush's judicial nominees, overhaul the tax code and end lawsuit abuse.” Currently PFA's website states that the group's mission is to “promote[] nonpartisan, conservative policies that improve the quality of life for the American people.”

According to Sourcewatch, “Center for Security Policy has strong ties with the Republican party with many members serving senior posts in the Reagan administration and George W. Bush administration.” CSP is headed by Frank J. Gaffney Jr., who is also a National Review Online contributing editor; as Media Matters has noted, Gaffney has defended John R. Bolton's appointment as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, falsely attacked Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), and dubiously asserted that obtaining warrants to conduct electronic surveillance under FISA would have “tipp[ed] off our enemies.”

From the September 9 edition of Fox News' The Beltway Boys:

KONDRACKE: Well, the “Hot Story” is “Never Forget.”

For most Americans, the fifth anniversary of 9-11 is a -- an occasion for solemn memorials. And that includes the president, giving an -- an address, a perfectly appropriate address on the anniversary on -- on Monday. However, in the lead-up, and I'm afraid the aftermath of the -- of the 9-11 anniversary, the politicians have seized the whole thing, and trying -- and trying to make points in -- in advance of the election.

Here are two ads that are run by basically pro-defense groups, which take the Bush side of this argument. Watch.

ANNOUNCER [video clip of Center for Security Policy ad]: Since 9-11, most Americans know the world is a dangerous place. Islamic terrorists hate us for who we are and what we stand for. Some people seem to think, however, that if we retreat, our terrorists enemies will leave us alone.

ANNOUNCER [video clip of Progress for America ad]: Now we have narrowly escaped another 9-11, using proven surveillance that some would stop. The war on terror is a war for our country's freedom, security, and survival.

FRED BARNES (co-host and executive editor of The Weekly Standard): Good ads. I love them.

KONDRACKE: So, now here's the response to that kind of thing, as administered here by Harry Reid [NV], the Democratic Senate leader. Watch.

REID [video clip]: This White House has proven incapable of doing the job. And rather than acknowledge their mistakes, they use fear, fear, fear, and more fear as a national-security policy.

KONDRACKE: Now, I agree with the Democrats that the Bush administration is trying to lay a trap when the president comes up with legislation on military tribunals and says to -- to the Senate -- to the Congress, “Pass it in three weeks, and anybody who gets out of line on this issue, you know, is going to be deemed weak on -- weak on -- on terrorism.”

On the other hand, this fear, fear, fear stuff from the -- from the Democrat suggests that there's nothing to be afraid of. When -- as that -- one of those ads pointed out, we just dodged another 9-11 with these -- with the -- the uncovering of this London bomb plot. And the Democrats for their side, use fear, fear, fear itself. Otherwise, why would they be saying that “the president isn't spending enough money on -- on port security. The president is not spending enough money on first responders”?