Sen: Soldier in DeWine (R) Ad Either Fake or Violated Regulations

Wow. Sen. Mike DeWine (R-Cedarville) can't seem to put up a campaign ad without digging himself into a hole. The doctored image of the "smoking" World Trade Center in his first negative ad this summer was only the start. Now it appears that he either used a fake soldier, or by using a real one put him in the position of violating a clear military regulation on wearing military uniform, in an ad that ran in late September and early October.

Greg Sargent of TPM Cafe's Election Central broke the story. The ad, which can be viewed here, includes members of military families praising DeWine for supporting the troops. A soldier in uniform poses in a family group for about three seconds. However, a spokesperson for the Department of Defense explained to Election Central that military regulations forbid the wearing of military uniform in support of a political campaign:

DoD personnel acting in their official capacity may not engage in activities that associate DoD with any partisan political campaign or election, candidate or cause or issue. Political activity by members of the armed forces continues to be governed by DoD Instruction 1334.1, "Wearing of the Uniform." The Department of Defense maintains a long-standing policy that DoD personnel acting in their official capacity (wearing their uniform) may NOT engage in activities that associate the DoD with any partisan political campaign or election, candidate, cause, or issue. Commanders will decline requests for military personnel to appear in or support political campaigns or election events. All military personnel, including National Guard and reserve forces, are prohibited from wearing military uniforms at political campaign or election events.

So, either the soldier in the ad is a fake, or the DeWine campaign has put a real soldier in the position of violating military regulations. One way or the other, DeWine owes an explanation and apology.

UPDATE: The AP picks up the story. The DeWine campaign asserts that the apparent soldier really and truly is a soldier, and disputes that appearing in a campaign TV ad constitutes "activities that associate the DoD with any partisan political campaign or election, candidate, cause, or issue." Good luck with that argument.