Wave of political attack ads hits scene

NEW YORK, Oct. 2 (UPI) -- As the Republican and Democratic vice presidential nominees prepared for their debate. independent political groups unleashed a slew of attack ads.

Using television, radio and the Internet, Vets for Freedom, a non-profit group with ties to Republican donors, slammed Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., on national security in the kickoff of a $2.2 million TV campaign in California, USA Today said.

The Obama-supporting California Nurses Association began running an anti-Palin TV ad Wednesday in six battleground states. The 30-second spot, titled "One Heartbeat Away," says GOP vice presidential nominee Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska is unsuited for the job.

Similar ads will hit the airwaves in the coming weeks as groups try to influence the close race between Obama and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., analysts said.

The groups are boosted by a 2007 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that allows them to run attack ads in the final days before an election.

Independent groups were a big force in the 2004 race between U.S. President George Bush and Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass. They ranged from the liberal MoveOn.org Voter Fund and deep-pocketed labor unions to Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, a group bankrolled by a wealthy GOP donors.