Here's a story about what some of our young vets that have served in Iraq and Afhanistan are doing.

It probably will not sit well with most posters on this site.

Veterans group plans ad campaign touting Iraq war

The Associated Press
Saturday, July 5, 2008; 4:18 PM

WASHINGTON -- Republican John McCain, who has made support for President Bush's troop buildup in Iraq the centerpiece of his presidential campaign, is getting from help from a veterans group that's launching a national TV ad campaign next week.
Vets for Freedom is spending $1.5 million on ads that will run on national cable television and in five states in July _ the first set of ads in a multimillion dollar campaign in coming months touting the troop buildup, Pete Hegseth, the 25,000-member group's chairman, said in a telephone interview Saturday. Aimed at "informing the American people about the truth regarding progress in Iraq and Afghanistan," the issue ads will feature veterans of the war describing the accomplishments they've seen since the buildup began in early 2007.

"We need to finish the job no matter who is president," the ads say, according to Hegseth. The five states being initially targeted are Colorado, Michigan, New Mexico, Ohio and Virginia.

Vets for Freedom also said it would send its members to about a dozen swing states as part of a four-month education campaign that will "call for victory in Iraq and Afghanistan." The group planned to formally launch their campaign and unveil the first ads at a news conference on Wednesday.

In late May, Vets for Freedom released ads praising some of the troop buildup's successes and criticizing expected Democratic nominee Barack Obama for not visiting Iraq since 2006. After McCain echoed the criticism, Obama soon after said he would visit Iraq later this summer.

In the last week, Obama has said that "I'll ... continue to refine my policy" on Iraq after his visit there, drawing a flurry of commentary whether he might be softening his position on a troop pullout. Later Thursday, Obama said any refinement of his position on Iraq wouldn't be related to his promise to remove combat forces within 16 months of taking office, but rather to the number of troops needed to train Iraqis and fight al-Qaida.

John,

I think you undermind the intelligence of many of the posters on this board. I can think of no reason that anyone would not understand nor accept that PAC (political action committees) have an agenda and have every right to legitmately advocate that agenda.

My experience has taught me that openness about agendas is healthy and invigorating for public debate. Usually the demise of ill informed and misguided groups is self evident. I view this group's position much like other ill informed and knee jerk reaction groups to be similar to the KKK, Jewish Defense League, etc. They are necessary evils.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that when the use key words like "Vets" and "Freedom" to foster their position, that they are attempting to appeal to a not so educated constituent. Furthermore, to slyly incorporate the terms Iraq and Afghanistan, as if they are one and the same, is a disgrace yet clever marketing tool dreamed up by some neo-con who still takes the American public to be blindly following fools.

I am happy that they are spending the advertising dollars. This economy can use all the help it can get.

John R...

John. It not a matter of what or what do not sit well with most posters on this forum. What matters is that the majority of the American people are tired of this war and oppose all wars. And most Americans understand that there was no real reason to get in to this war with Iraq and would rather have our troops used in an effort to kill or capture Osama bin laden and to subdue Al qieda And what matters is that there will be another bigger group opposing the war. So another swift boat group may or may not influence this eletion . But I do not think it will. The american people know that we have sacrifices over four thousand precious lives.

I have heard that phrase often about Iraq - "Lets finish the job" but nobody can say what that really means or how they will know when the job is finished.

Sounds a lot like a recipe for breaking down our military and bankrupting America to me. And to what purpose? What do we gain?

John R lumps the group "Vets for Freedom" with the KKK and Jewish defense Leagueand says that the words Vets and freedom can only appeal to people who are uneducated and louts. Certainly the idea that the ordinary person is entitled to liberty , freedom would not be something that such a sophisticated individual as he would ever allow.
Grant you say that the majority of the american people are violently oppose to fighting al queda in Iraq. If that is the case why have not the democrat leadership been able to get the votes in congress (democrat votes) to defund the american forces in Iraq? If the vast majority of the american people want no more efforts to defeat terrorism, the people will let the congress know and in a couple of days the radical leadership of the democrats would have america surrendered. The truth is that the people actually do want this war won and terrorism defeated.
Jack b just look at the front page of your morning newspaper. How many storys do you see of alqueda attacking the american soldiers? Very seldom. Even against soft targets innocent people going to markets. Very seldom do you see or read of hundreds of innocents being blown to pieces by those you would call "freedomfighters" and that must frustrate you to no end The story and pictures of a swiming pool opened in Bagdhad. Kids enjoying themselves cooling off from the summers heat. American soldiers standing guard.
When those muderous attacks do not happen on a regular basis and the iraqi people are able to live peacefully making their country prosperous and helping the rest of the world that is victory.
Of course that is something you dont like . For
like John r freedom for all people is not an idea you can embrace.

Actually Veterans For Freedom Groups authenticity was Questioned back in the 06 campaign of a Republican Senator from the State of Penn. if I can't recall by other Veterans groups. many of the group that was supporting that Senator were not even Veterans.

They claim to have 25000 members and also have 1.5 Million cash on hand to buy air time. That's a lot of money for a relatively small group. But when you take into consideration that the "Veterans for Freedom PAC" is funded by the same group that funded the "Swift Boat Crowd" you can then get a good picture of their true agenda.

I have gotten emails from both Bobby Muller former President and creator of VVA now president of Veterans for America and Paul Sullivan president of Veterans for Common Sense (both Iraqi veterans orgs)and have expressed the fact that the VFF are just a bunch of pro Bush policy supporters and have done nothing to advocate better treatment for New Veterans.

And like myself do not like the fact that the Veterans For Freedom claim to be the "Voice of Veterans"..Not even larger Groups like the VVA, VFA or VFCS have ever made that claim!

I find it funny that the same bozo that has spent the last several years claiming that we couldn't trust anything in the MSM is now suggesting that I check the newspapers for evidence that the war is being won. The reality is that the Iraq is virtually uncovered. The TV news - all networks together- has devoted only 181 minutes of coverage to Iraq in the first six months of 2008.

But what say that I just go ahead and accept your premise - American soldiers are not figting Al-Queda in Iraq. I believe that is probably true - hell, it has always been true. We have hardly ever been fighting Al-Queda in Iraq - the vast majority of our casualties have come from the Iraqi people themselves. The military has always reported that fact - only dupes like you have imagined that there was some great Al-Queda U.S. war going on in Iraq.

And, Duane, you may think that guarding Iraqi kids at the local swimming pool is a good use of the U.S. military, but I don't. When American troops are at risk, I expect America to benefit - I don't give the slightest little **** about swimming lessons for Iraqis.

The enemy that Bush and Rumsfeld walked away from in Afghanistan to launch their social science project in Iraq is staging a major comeback. And night before last I heard the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff state that because of Iraq, the United States does not have any troops to send to deal with them.

Yep, you keep on being proud of guarding that pool.