Fred Thompson, who served two terms as a Republican senator for Tennessee and now appears in the hit NBC show 'Law & Order', is the star of a campaign created by Citizens United, who are in favour of George W Bush's plans for Iraq.
In the spot, which is being shown on cable stations in the Washington DC region, Thompson asks "Can we afford to appease Saddam?" and talks about the war on terror. The ad also features the address for 's website.
The group's website says it is airing the ad in defence of Bush's stance on Iraq. On its homepage appears the message: "Martin Sheen, Susan Sarandon and other Hollywood leftists are airing television commercials attacking our president for his courageous stance against Iraq's Saddam Hussein as we fight the war on terror."
In the spot starring Sheen, who plays fictional President Bartlett in the television show 'The West Wing', which also airs on NBC, he tells the audience: "Don't invade Iraq. Inspections work, war won't." Viewers are directed towards the anti-war website . In an earlier ad, comedian Janeane Garofalo informs viewers of a UN estimate of half-a-million casualties "if we invade Iraq". She asks: "Do we have the right to do that to a country that's done nothing to us?"
Garofalo recently complained saying that she knew why news networks like Fox, CNN, MSNBC and 'Good Morning America' have booked her to argue against war with Iraq.
"They have actors on so they can marginalise the movement," she told the Washington Post. "It's much easier to toss it off as some bizarre, unintelligent special-interest group. If you're an actor who is pro-war, you're a hero. If you're an actor who's against the war, you're suspect. You must have a weird angle or you just hate George Bush."
MoveOn.org has already run a campaign recreating a famous anti-war ad from the 1960s. It was also involved in a campaign to fly a banner ad over the Super Bowl in January.
Citizens United also encourages the boycott all French and German products, from Adidas to Volkswagen for everyone who is "tired of the French and German political leaders stonewalling President Bush".
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