Thursday, August 02, 2007

Right Wing Vets' Group Supports Coleman

There are headlines all over the internet about some vet group that is supporting Republican Sen. Norm Coleman of Minnesota. HOWEVER, the veterans' group that supports Coleman also supports the concept of "stay the course" in the Iraq war. All vets groups are NOT the same. The group that loves Coleman, Vets for Freedom, also loves President Bush and his Iraq policies.

Here is what SourceWatch had to say about Vets for Freedom:

Vets for Freedom (VFF), which as recently as July 2007 declared itself the "leading voice representing troops and veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan."[1], on July 10, 2007, resumed its pro-Bush administration, pro-war in Iraq political activities by launching its "Win the War! Victory in Iraq" campaign, stating that the "next ten weeks will be absolutely crucial in determining the fate of the Iraq War."[2][3][4]

In July 2006, VFF—calling itself the Vets for Freedom Action Fund (VFF-AF)—registered[5] with the IRS as a 527 committee national lobby. It was, in essence, a Republican front group managed by Republican-affiliated public relations, media, legal, and political consultants, including former White House spokesman Taylor Gross, to defeat candidates who advocate an end to the US occupation of Iraq.

There you have it! The Vets for Freedom are a "Republican front group." Other Veterans groups who have voiced opposition to the Iraq War include:

Veterans Against the Iraq War

Iraq Veterans Against the War

Veterans for Peace