President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney's new campaign ads use the usual political campaign tactics: pictures of hardworking, blue-collar Americans, images of American flags, and then, maybe not surprising, images of Ground Zero and the hollowed-out area where the World Trade Center once stood.

Although the ads haven't aired yet, it has been publicized that the commercials show images of firefighters working with the wreckage, as well as American flags waving in the middle of the destruction and debris.

The ads, at best, are predictable and perhaps even a little insensitive. Already, family members of some of the victims of the attacks have been coming out to decry the ads as unfeeling and taking advantage of the tragedy.

While the families' feelings are understandable, the ads shouldn't surprise anyone. Politicians use their greatest accomplishments in campaign ads, and Bush's thus far has been his ability to lead our nation through the chaotic weeks after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Whether one agrees with the actions the president has taken since then, it goes rather unacknowledged that Bush's actions after the attacks were calm and level-headed.

Images of the Sept. 11 attacks have been used by news outlets to express their responsibility and commitment to breaking news, and by charity organizations such as the American Red Cross to attract donors. Bush, like these other organizations, is trying to promote his success of leading the nation through such a bleak tragedy.

As much as we all expected the attacks to be used in Bush's re-election campaign, it's important that he carefully considers the type of images he uses. What is important about the Sept. 11 attacks is what happened afterward - the rebuilding and survival. These are the types of images that should be used. It would be callous and insensitive if he ran sensational images of, for example, planes flying into the towers or people running from the buildings.

The images of Sept. 11 are important and sensitive ones. We all have shared in the momentous experience, and the pictures essentially are public domain. As long as the images are used respectfully, there shouldn't be any reason to debate its use in a political campaign.