Usa Next Organization

As synonyms for the word "vile," my thesaurus offers some of the following: offensive, objectionable, odious, repulsive, repellent, repugnant, revolting, disgusting, sickening, loathsome, foul, nasty, contemptible, despicable and noxious. Any of those words would aptly describe the advertising attack launched last week against AARP, the largest advocacy group for seniors, by the conservative interest group USA Next. But there's one word that unfortunately can't be applied: surprising.

A conservative group called USA Next has succeeded only in damaging its own reputation and interfering in the debate over Social Security with its virulent attacks on AARP, said Bill Novelli, chief executive of the seniors group, in Austin. "USA Next are not serious people. They're not engaged in the debate and should be ignored," Novelli said in a speech at the University of Texas.