"Technically and, more importantly, legally, the Bush/Quayle campaign was not behind the Willie Horton ads. In a successful effort to provide his father with plausible denial, Junior had raised the necessary funds and assisted in establishing the various 'sponsors' and political action committees that financed the controversial ads. Although the Bush/Quayle campaign denied having any association with any person or organization that was responsible for the television commercials, the campaign refused to repudiate them.

It was later revealed that the so-called 'independent' group, the National Security Political Action Committee, had established ties not only to the Republican Party, but to Bush ad chief, Roger Ailes. At least three production people used for the ad, Larry McCarthy, Floyd Brown, and Jesse T. Raiford, were veterans of Ailes Communication." ("Fortunate Son," page 84. See also "The Family," by Kitty Kelley, page 549)

Ad Background

As the Bush campaign strategy was finalized, it was decided that Republicans would attack Dukakis' record as governor of Massachusetts. In their view, the man was too liberal, not patriotic, and soft on crime. The Horton furlough was symptomatic of all that was wrong with Dukakis. Bush campaign director Lee Atwater later would boast to party officials, "By the time this election is over, Willie Horton will be a household name."

"Caught between their need to place negative information about Dukakis before the public and their desire to avoid a backlash against going on the attack, Bush operatives decided on a two-track system. The official campaign would attack Dukakis' crime credentials and record as governor of Massachusetts. The public would have to be educated about the deficiencies of the "Massachusetts Miracle." Ads would be broadcast and speeches delivered emphasizing previously-unknown information about Governor Dukakis.

At the same time, however, taking advantage of a loophole in campaign finance rules, outside groups would run a second campaign that was much tougher. The outside track would feature "brass knuckles" tactics that would appeal to the basest instincts of the American public on the subject of race. This unauthorized and uncoordinated campaign would say things and run advertisements that could not be said by the official Bush organization.

...The centerpiece of this attack strategy was the Horton furlough. From September 21 to October 4, 1988, the hawkish National Security Political Action Committee (NSPAC) and its arm Americans for Bush broadcast an ad about Horton entitled "Weekend Passes" that criticized Dukakis' record on fighting crime. Headed by former Joint Chiefs of Staff Thomas Moorer, the NSPAC was devoted to promoting Republican candidates who promised a strong defense, firm moral values, and tough crime laws.

...The commercial was a vintage attack spot. It opened with contrasting pictures of Bush (smiling) and Dukakis (looking grim), while the announced intoned, "Bush and Dukakis on crime." The commercial contrasted Bush's support for the death penalty with Dukakis' opposition and pointed out that the Massachusetts governor "allowed first-degree murderers to have weekend passes from prison."

At that point, the threatening-looking mug shot of Horton appeared on the screen and the announcer informed viewers that Horton murdered a boy in a robbery and despite a life sentence, received a weekend pass from prison. While on one of his 10 such furloughs, Horton kidnapped a young couple, stabbed the man, and repeatedly raped the man's wife. The ad closed with the punchline: "Weekend prison passes. Dukakis on crime."

...Having spent several weeks blanketing the nation with the Horton story, the official Bush campaign started broadcasting its "Revolving Door" ad on October 5. Scripted by Bush media advisor Roger Ailes, the commercial made no specific mention of Horton nor did it show a photo of the felon. But it reiterated the point that Dukakis was soft on crime and had a lenient furlough policy. Using visual images of prison immates slowly moving in and out of a revolving gate, the ad voice-over proclaimed that "Dukakis had vetoed the death penalty and given furloughs to 'first-degree murderers not eligible for parole. While out, many committed other crimes like kidnapping and rape.'"

...Larry McCarthy, the NSPAC media consultant who worked for Americans for Bush and created "Weekend Passes," [the 'Willie Horton' ad] was a past senior vice president of Ailes Communications, Inc. (ACI), the main media consultant for the Bush campaign...Despite evidence of communication between the two organizations, the FEC Commissioners deadlocked 3 to 3 on finding illegal coordination based on the Ailes-McCarthy phone call.

...The FEC investigation furthermore uncovered that Jesse Raiford of Raiford Communications, Inc., a former employee of ACI who was responsible for post-production editing of the "Weekend Passes" spot, "simultaneously received compensation from NSPAC and the Bush campaign, and that he had expended NSPAC funds for the production of the Willie Horton ad."

These were exactly the types of connections that Democratic critics had anticipated when they filed their complaint. The Bush campaign had gotten great mileage out of its claims to have had no role in producing "Weekend Passes." Both the content and timing of that ad was the work of an outside group, Bush officials routinely proclaimed. Such a defense helped deflect critics who felt Bush was using unfair and racist appeals."

(http://www.insidepolitics.org/ps111/independentads.html)

W. Becomes "Michael Corleone"

As a result of his two years in Washington working on Poppy's 1988 Presidential campaign, "W's relationship with his father deepened. This was the first time the two had worked together closely as adults, and Big George came to appreciate his son's political instincts. "It was a wonderful experience for both of us," the former President told TIME. "He was very helpful to me, and I think it toughened him for the real world." From Midland, Bush's friend [Joe] O'Neill saw the change. "George went up there as Sonny Corleone and came back as Michael," he says, using an analogy from The Godfather..."