Representatives of many families of victims of the 11 September terrorist attacks have accused President George W Bush of exploiting the tragedy for his re-election bid.
The first television advertisement of Mr Bush's campaign features images of the devastation at the World Trade Centre in New York and a fire fighter working in the rubble.
The Bush campaign has defended the images as necessary, saying the message was that Mr Bush rose to the challenge.
An adviser said the advertisement was tastefully done.
However a representative of one 9/11 families association said that while the tragedy should not be ignored during the election year, there should be no manipulation of it for a particular agenda.
Irish-born Jack Lynch, whose firefighter son Michael Francis Lynch died in the World Trade Centre, said the matter should not be used for political gain.
