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Restore Our Future, the super PAC supporting GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney, tries to revive the mommy wars in an ad timed to Mother's Day on Sunday. The ad reprises the controversy over a remark about Romney's wife, Ann, made last month by Democratic political strategist Hilary Rosen.ScriptMale narrator:Ann Romney raised five boys. She successfully battled breast cancer and multiple sclerosis. But what does White House insider Hilary Rosen say about Ann Romney?Hilary Rosen (audio clip): Guess what? His wife has actually never worked a day in her life.Narrator: And Bill Maher, who gave a million dollars supporting Obama, attacks …Bill Maher (video clip): Ann Romney has never gotten her ass out of the house.Announcer: Happy Mother's Day from Barack Obama's team. Restore Our Future is responsible for the content of this message.VisualsPhotos of Ann Romney, Hilary Rosen, and a Mother's Day birthday card with photos of President Obama, Rosen and Maher.AccuracyThe facts are straightforward: Ann Romney did raise five sons and suffer breast cancer and multiple sclerosis. Bill Maher and Hilary Rosen did make those comments about her — although Maher's full quote was that Romney "has never gotten her ass out of the house to work." He then said, "No one is denying that being a mother is a tough job," but made a distinction between working at raising children and working for an employer.Rosen, who made her comment on CNN, where she is a paid contributor, was villified by Republicans who said her comments reflected Democrats' disdain for women who stay home to raise children. She repeatedly went back on television to apologize to Ann Romney.The claim that is harder to prove is whether Rosen and Maher are an integral part of Obama's "team'' and whether their comments are representative of the president's views. Rosen's remarks were renounced at the time by Obama, his wife, Michelle, and the leaders of his campaign. Rosen works for political consulting firm SKDKnickerbocker, which has worked for the Obama campaign in the past, and she has visited the White House — although the White House would not clarify how many times. But she does not work for the Obama campaign or the Democratic party. Maher, a comic and talk-show host, gave $1 million in February to Priorities USA Action, a pro-Obama super PAC.The ad is aimed at women, among whom Obama holds a lead vs. Romney in opinion surveys. But the president's support is skewed to unmarried women, who support him 68% to 24%, according to the latest USA TODAY/Gallup Poll. Married women — perhaps more likely to be stay-at-home moms — favored Romney 47% to 43%.
Contributing: By Martha T. Moore, USA TODAY
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