Rep. Chris Van Hollen, Maryland Democrat and DCCC chairman, said "Republicans who continue to vote in lock step with the President Bush's failed Iraq policy will be held accountable."

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee this week began running radio advertisements to criticize 12 Republican House members for their "lock-step" support of President Bush's war policy.

The ads are running in the districts of Reps. Christopher Shays of Connecticut, Mark Steven Kirk of Illinois, Joe Knollenberg of Michigan, Jon Porter of Nevada, Mike Ferguson of New Jersey, Heather A. Wilson of New Mexico, James T. Walsh of New York, Deborah Pryce of Ohio, Phil English, Jim Gerlach and Tim Murphy of Pennsylvania, and Dave Reichert of Washington.

The DCCC considers the 12 Republican seats winnable for Democrats in the November 2008 elections. Many of the districts voted for Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts in 2004.

"These are swing districts, some of then lean Democratic, and they also have a very healthy number of independent voters," DCCC spokesman Doug Thornell said.

The ads, which began running Wednesday during morning and afternoon rush hours, will continue until the middle of next week

The goal is to cut the remaining support for the president's Iraq policy out from underneath him. Give the Republicans a choice between helping to end the war or facing political extinction."