Sen. Manchin (D-WV) Defends "Dead Aim" Campaign Ad, Not Sure if He'd Still Run Ad Today

Via Mediaite, newly elected West Virginia Senator and former Governor Joe Manchin (D)was confronted by ABC's Huma Khan about his 2010 campaign ad where he touted being endorsed NRA while shooting the ObamaCare bill with a rifle:

ABC News' Huma Khan reports: Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., one of a number of 2010 candidates who used gun imagery in their campaigns, today explicitly separated himself from those who targeted specific candidates and expressed doubts that he would run the same ad again today.

“I've spent my whole career bringing people together, avoiding the rancor of partisan politics, and that will continue to be the focus of my work as U.S. Senator going forward,” Manchin said in a statement today.

“The act of a deranged madman who commits a horrific act should not and cannot be confused with a metaphor about a piece of legislation. I have never targeted an individual, and I never would," he added. "This tragedy, I hope, serves as call for common sense, and wake-up call that we should all come together with common purpose to do what is best for our country.”

In his campaign ad below, Manchin -- touting his National Rifle Association endorsement -- shoots a bullet at the "cap and trade bill," as a symbolic rejection of the energy legislation being discussed by Democrats.