US Embassy behind New Democracy dropping ad?
- Written by E.Tsiliopoulos
In an article last week http://www.thepressproject.net had said that a New Democracy campaign ad included a deliberate misrepresentation of statements made US President Barack Obama. Now New Democracy has quietly withdrawn the ad.
The campaign advertisement includes a sound bite taken from Obama’s meeting with Antonis Samaras in the Oval Office in August 2013. In the video the US President is heard saying “The Greek people see light at the end of the tunnel.” This statement was presented as proof that Antonis Samaras’s government has succeeded in bringing about a Greek recovery.
But a closer look at the full transcript of the statement reveals that what Obama really said was, “And I think Prime Minister Samaras is committed to taking the tough actions that are required, but also, understandably, wants to make sure that the Greek people see a light at the end of the tunnel.” Thus it seems, the actual wording is more wishful thinking than an accomplishment presented.
The site notes that they also submitted an official complaint to the National Council for Radio and Television (ESR) and communicated with the US Embassy in Greece to get their reaction.
The embassy issued a short statement that, according to the site, leaves the government exposed: “In answer to your question submitted on May 9th and your follow up request on the 13th of May, we refer you to President Obama’s statements during his meeting with Prime Minister Samaras on the 8th of August 2013 (available in mp3 and mp4 format). This is not a direct refutation, but leaves the government in a lurch. In any event the governing party quietly withdrew the ad.
