6/02/00 5:40 p.m.
Missile Opportunity
CNN providing a national venue for advocacy organizations.

By NR's Ramesh Ponnuru & John J. Miller

NN said today it may sell advertising time on its domestic network to an organization that supports missile defense, but at press time a decision didn't appear likely until Monday. On Wednesday, CNN announced that the ads wouldn't appear on its international broadcasts because they were "political," according to spokesman Robert Romano.

The Coalition to Protect America Now seeks to purchase ads worth about $11,000 — probably two spots — that would run next week, says Bruce Mentzer, a Baltimore-based media consultant charged with placing CPAN's ads. The group's advertising already has aired in the Washington, D.C. market, including on CNN. But these spots, worth more than $100,000, were bought from local cable companies, not the channels themselves.

Network television generally doesn't accept issue advertising. But CNN does, which means it provides one of the few national venues for advocacy organizations running ad campaigns. There is a review process, however, and no guarantee that the ads will appear.

Abortion and the Veepstakes
Hotline's Bullseye poll, conducted by the (Republican) Polling Company and the (Democratic) Global Strategy Group, included questions about how voters would react if the presidential nominees picked running mates who disagree with them about abortion. The results were basically a wash. If Bush picked a pro-choicer, 26 percent of likely voters say they would be more likely to vote for him — and 24 percent say they'd be less likely. If Gore picked a pro-lifer, 23 percent would be more likely and 24 percent would be less likely.

Oddly enough, in both cases the candidate would pick up members of his own party. If Bush picked a pro-choicer, it would make 34 percent of Republicans more likely to vote for him and 24 percent less likely. Gore would, on balance, actually lose Republican votes by picking a pro-lifer. But 29 percent of Democrats would be more likely to vote for him, as opposed to 22 percent who would be less likely. Of course, most pro-life Democrats who want to get ahead in their party nationally have become pro-choicers.

Al's Abs
Vanity Fair scribe Gail Sheehy swoons over Vice President Gore in a New York Times op-ed this morning: "He is a fanatic about preserving a near-perfect physique. One day in 1976 when he learned a congressional seat was coming vacant, he immediately dropped to the floor and started doing push-ups. Today he does crunches on Air Force Two. His perfect abs are a silent rebuke to all those boomer men who have graduated beyond size 36 belts."