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Kline upset with doctored photo on Rowley campaign Web site
STEVE KARNOWSKI
Associated Press
MINNEAPOLIS - U.S. Rep. John Kline angrily demanded an apology from Democratic challenger Coleen Rowley on Monday for a doctored photo on her campaign Web site that depicted Kline as the Nazi soldier Col. Klink from the TV series "Hogan's Heroes."
"Your attempts to smear my good name and 25 years of honorable service in the United States Marine Corps by equating me to a Nazi shows a lack of perspective, a lack of seriousness, and a lack of good judgment," wrote Kline, R-Minn. "You should be ashamed of yourself."
A volunteer inserted the picture, labeled as altered, into a campaign blog entry, and it was up for about 24 hours until campaign officials learned about it Monday and removed the picture, said Rowley's campaign manager, Joe Elcock.
Rowley was trying to phone Kline to personally apologize Monday night, but hadn't been able to reach him, Elcock said.
Kline spokeswoman Brooke Dorobiala confirmed that Rowley had left a message on Kline's office voicemail, but she said the congressman was in meetings and unreachable all evening.
Rowley is a former FBI agent who was named one of Time Magazine's persons of the year in 2002 for blowing the whistle on intelligence failures before the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. She's running for the Democratic nomination to challenge Kline, a retired Marine colonel who was elected in 2002 to represent the 2nd District, which includes suburbs and rural areas south and west of the Twin Cities.
In his letter to Rowley, Kline called the photo an "outrageous and disgusting insult to me, my family, and every man and woman who has ever worn a military uniform in defense of our country."
Kline demanded that Rowley personally apologize to him and to every veteran.
"It wasn't the intention of the campaign to make John Kline look like a Nazi," Elcock said. He said the photo was made and posted by "young volunteers who maintain our Web site who didn't understand the ramifications of putting that picture up. ..."
"Nonetheless it should not have been up on the Web site and Coleen takes responsibility for it and apologizes," Elcock said.
The photo of Kline as Col. Wilhelm Klink - a monocled, bumbling German prison camp commandant in the TV comedy that ran from 1965-71 - was inserted into a blog posting already up on Rowley's site that criticized Kline for supporting the replacement of President Grant's portrait on $50 bills with a likeness of President Reagan.
At the top of the blog, titled "Colonel Kline vs. General Grant," Rowley posted a note that said, "I support this excellent blog written by one of our best volunteers!"
The Rowley campaign will probably get someone to professionally maintain the campaign's blog, Elcock said. "We don't want something like this happening again," he said.
insein said:Here's an idea. Sue for defamation. Sure you look like a crybaby, but youll hit them in the wallet and thats where it hurts the most. They will definitely think twice about defaming opponents, especially well respected opponents, ever again if they stand to lose significant amounts of money for doing so.
manu1959 said:you are a public figure.....1st amendment and all...never prove defimation
