Associated Press
DALLAS – Seeking a patriotic image for an advertisement, lieutenant governor hopeful David Dewhurst’s campaign put a uniformed soldier against the backdrop of the American flag. Trouble is, it was a uniformed German soldier.
A full-color, four-page ad published this week in Texas Monthly shows the officer in crisp, gilt-edge dress blues against the stars and stripes. But the uniform is complete with military insignia and a name tag bearing the German flag.
“It was clearly a mistake in graphics, and the graphics consultant has been dealt with appropriately,” Rob Johnson, Dewhurst’s campaign manager, said in a statement.
The mistake was not noticed by Dewhurst or his campaign until after the magazine went on sale.
Dewhurst, a Republican who this month was appointed the state’s homeland security chief by Gov. Rick Perry, acknowledged that “I looked over the ad a couple of times” before approving it.
His campaign declined to identify the ad agency.
Dewhurst served in the Air Force and was a Central Intelligence Agency agent. The ad urges readers to support “the brave men and women of our armed forces as they fight to eliminate terrorism and work to restore confidence in our economy.”
The man in the photo is Brig. Gen. Peter Schmitz, Germany’s former defense attache at the embassy in Washington, D.C., according to the embassy. Schmitz left the post in 1999.
At present, Dewhurst is the only Republican in the race for the lieutenant governor job, a powerful position in Texas because he presides over the state Senate. The election will be held in November 2002. Acting Lt. Gov. Bill Ratliff has said he will not seek the seat permanently.
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