Vets for Freedom

This article is part of the SourceWatch coverage of Vets for Freedom (VFF) and Vets for Freedom Action Fund (VFF-AF).
Sub-articles:
VFF chapters VFF leadership VFF mission changes VFF news releases VFF website VFF's 10-week "Win the War! Victory in Iraq" campaign Ad campaign supporting pro-war candidates VFF's rally in D.C. July 17, 2007 VFF & the Donatelli Group and Swift Boat connection Opposing John Murtha and supporting Joe Lieberman External articles related to VFF / VFF-AF 2007 Specific to VFF-AF leadership Related SourceWatch articles
Related articles:
Freedom's Watch Gathering of Eagles Move America Forward Operation Iraqi Freedom: Year Five Operation Enduring Freedom pro-war lobby stay the course troop surge in Iraq VoteVets.org

Vets for Freedom (VFF), which as recently as September 2007 declared itself the "leading voice representing troops and veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan.", 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."

Since, in his September 13, 2007, address to the nation, President George W. Bush appears to have dropped "victory" from his goals for Iraq, and has substituted "success" in its place, will Vets for Freedom now rename its pro-victory in Iraq campaign "Win the War! Success in Iraq"?

VFF communicates its slogan in military terms: "Mobilizing veterans to communicate America's strategic objectives in Iraq and Afghanistan."

In July 2006, VFF—calling itself the Vets for Freedom Action Fund (VFF-AF)—registered 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.

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Non-partisan, bi-partisan or neocon lobbyists?

Pete Hegseth, VFF's Executive Director since May 2007, wrote the article "What Would Lincoln Do? Civil War Woes Emblematic Of Those Faced In Iraq," published June 26, 2007, in neo-conservative William Kristol's The Weekly Standard magazine. Hegseth addressed statements made by Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) in a June 21, 2007, Washington Post op-ed which "bothered" Hegseth, "all of which run counter to realities on the ground in Iraq," Hegseth wrote.

An Iraq veteran, VFF National Field Director Joel A. Arends is a U.S. Army Reserve Captain who served 2003-2005 as Platoon Leader and Company Commander for the 1st Cavalry Division. He is a member of and previously worked with Families United for Our Troops and Their Mission, another pro-war in Iraq organization. In 2000, Arends ran unsuccesfully for the Iowa Statehouse "while living in Sioux City". He is listed in May 2007 as a paid staffer for Republican 2008 presidential hopeful John McCain and, when appearing at an August 8, 2007, O'Brien County Republican Summer Gala in Paullina, Iowa, Arends was described as "now a surrogate for Senator McCain's campaign". Also in August 2007, Arends was identified as the replacement for Craig Dewey as Americans for Prosperity's South Dakota Assistant State Director.

VFF member Alex Gallo, a West Point graduate who served in 2004 as an infantry officer in Samarrah, Iraq, wrote a pro-war in Iraq article that was published July 18, 2007, by National Review Online.

Gallo is currently a "masters in public-policy candidate" at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, where he is "course assistant" for Kristol's "Can America be Governed?" Kristol, whom David Corn calls "the No. 1 cheerleader for the Iraq war," in 2006 assisted VFF-AF in its pro-war in Iraq campaign support of Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.).

Eric Egland, another VFF member who is a Major in the U.S. Air Force Reserve who served on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan, announced July 31, 2007, that he will challenge Rep. John Doolittle (R-Calif.) in the 2008 Republican primary.

Egland helped Doolittle "defeat Democratic challenger Charlie Brown" in the 2006 congressional elections. In the fall of 2006, he "organized a group of veterans to oppose Doolittle's Democratic challenger, Brown, a retired Air Force officer who is seriously weighing another run next year."

Egland is the author of March 2007 self-published The Troops Need You, America: Six Ways to Help Them Win, a book "based on an essay he published" in Kristol's Weekly Standard. The book "shows average Americans how to help the troops win in Iraq."

Vince Micco, VFF's New Jersey chapter leader, was recruited by the GOP in March 2006 to challenge five-term Democratic Rep. Steve Rothman in the 2006 congressional election. Micco was profiled in an October 23, 2006, article in Kristol's Weekly Standard, in which he was described as "unabashedly pro-Bush and hawkish in his political outlook."

The contact person for VFF's press releases is Adriel Domenech, VFF's "Field Director", who most recently "worked for 13 months" as a member of the U.S. Department of State Public Affairs Iraq GO (Global Outreach) Team.

In Fall 2001, Domenech, a graduate of Texas A&M who interned with the Republican National Committee, had completed the Colorado campaign and was a "72-Hour Director in Arkansas" for Bush-Cheney '04 Inc..

In August 2004, Domenech's name was found amongst recognized "Republican signatures on petitions to get third-party candidate Ralph Nader on the presidential ballot in Arkansas." At the time, a "news release from the Democratic Party of Arkansas said at least two dozen state Republicans, including Lt. Gov. Win Rockefeller's chief of staff, had signed the petitions to get Nader included on the state ballot. ... Conventional political wisdom [was] that Nader [would] take votes from the Democratic nominee."

In 2006, former White House spokesman Taylor Gross's public relations firm the Herald Group helped VFF co-founder Wade Zirkle and "fellow Iraq veteran David Bellavia approach mainstream newspapers to offer dispatches from the two as war correspondents embedded with the military. The two eventually got press credentials through The Weekly Standard, whose editor, William Kristol, became an informal adviser to the group and helped put it in touch with" Republican strategist Dan Senor, who was "on retainer to help with fundraising."

See the Vets for Freedom Action Fund article for more details on VFF's Republican connections.

Freedom's Watch: the cavalry has arrived

"For the past few months, Vets for Freedom has been on the front lines of the Iraq war debate in America, with only a few allies. But this morning, in a very real sense, the cavalry appeared on the horizon in the form of a new organization called Freedom's Watch," Pete Hegseth, VFF Executive Director, wrote in an August 22, 2007, viral email posted by Free Republic.

"Freedom's Watch has launched a multi-state advertising campaign featuring powerful stories from veterans and families that every household in America should hear.

"It's time that the rest of America heard the words of soldiers who have served (and been wounded) in Iraq and the stories of families who have lost loved ones there," Hegseth wrote.

Neoconnected

The Weekly Standard op-ed

The VFF "seven", all veterans of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan—David Bellavia, Pete Hegseth, Michael A. Baumann, Carl Hartmann, David Thul, Knox Nunnally, and Joe Dan Worley—responded in William Kristol's conservative Weekly Standard on August 24, 2007, to an August 19, 2007, New York Times op-ed by what is being called the NYT "seven", all "infantrymen and noncommissioned officers with the 82nd Airborne Division soon heading back home" from 15 months duty in Iraq—Buddhika Jayamaha, Wesley D. Smith, Jeremy Roebuck, Omar Mora, Edward Sandmeier, Yance T. Gray, and Jeremy A. Murphy—who wrote a less-than-glowing assessment of the conditions on the ground in Iraq.

Note that, on September 10, 2007, Yance Gray and Omar Mora were among "seven American troops killed near Baghdad in vehicle rollover accident."

"Of the almost 3,000 soldiers from the Army's storied 82nd Airborne Division currently serving in the hottest of Iraqi neighborhoods, seven felt confident enough in their misgivings to sign an opinion piece. They should not be surprised that many of their comrades--including the seven undersigned here--find their work to be misguided, ... The portrait these soldiers painted, while surely accurate and honest, is more representative of pre-surge Baghdad: sectarian strife, lawlessness, and indiscriminate slaughter" the VFF "seven" wrote.

"We understand the frustration our fellow soldiers feel. All of us were in Iraq before the 'surge' and lament never seeing a coherent, security-based counterinsurgency strategy. In truth, we were only clearing--not holding. ... But we also know what's possible when even small portions of counterinsurgency strategy are applied. Insurgents are exposed, leaders stand up, and stability occurs. ... It's unfortunate that soldiers in the 82nd Airborne have not yet benefited from the new strategy, but it will ensure that their actions, and those of their fallen brethren, will not have been in vain," the VFF "seven" wrote.

Translation: The VFF "seven" do not have any first-hand knowledge of the current situation on the ground in Iraq. Although the NYT "seven" do, they are wrong.

Note: VFF's Weekly Standard op-ed was also published online by the Assyrian International News Agency. The names of the authors are stated, as is the fact that they are all members of VV; however, the op-ed itself lacks a title. The source for the article cited at the bottom of the page is News Corporation. Additionally, following the names is the following: "This Op-Ed was originally submitted to the New York Times, which declined to publish it."

Foundation for the Defense of Democracies

As part of activities for week 7 of its 10-week "Win the War! Victory in Iraq" campaign, in a viral email posted August 21, 2007, VFF Executive Director Pete Hegseth directed recipients to read three articles "released by" the neo-con-affiliated, pro-war/pro-regime change in Iraq think tank Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (FDD):

• "The Cost of Withdrawal from Iraq" (August 15, 2007)
• "The Progress of the Surge in Iraq" (August 9, 2007)
• "The Links between Al Qaeda and Iraq" (July 31, 2007) (The correct title is "The Links Between Al-Qaeda in Iraq And Al-Qaeda's Senior Leadership.")

Unsurprisingly, listed among FDD's board of advisors are Bill Kristol and Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.).

Catapulting the propaganda

VFF's Missouri chairman, Brandan Mueller, has reportedly called on Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill "to return $16,000 she received from Moveon.org during her election campaign in 2006," according to the September 13, 2007, The Source Blog. McCaskill was also asked to "denounce" the MoveOn.org ad "General Petraeus or General Betray Us?" published in the New York Times September 10, 2007, the first day of testimony on the progress of the surge and war in Iraq by Lt.Gen. David Petraeus before Congress, calling the ad "a disgrace". Mueller "went on to say she [McCaskill] should 'take the lead on this issue and return the money that she has taken from the organization that has libeled an American patriot who has served his country selflessly for many years.'"

It should be noted that, on September 9, 2007, the day before MoveOn.org's controversial ad was published, it was VFF's executive director Pete Hegseth who accused MoveOn.org in the article "MoveOn.org Calls Petraeus a Traitor" published in the right-wing publication The Weekly Standard of calling Lt.Gen. Petraeus a "traitor".

As Jeffrey Feldman wrote September 11, 2007, in The Daily Kos

"The only problem: the word 'traitor' appears nowhere in the MoveOn.org ad nor anywhere on the MoveOn.org page about the ad. It is Hegseth's article that introduced the word 'traitor' into the story--an outright lie intended to silence dissent against the war. Less than 24 hours after the Hegseth piece ran and the MoveOn.org ad appeared, the mainstream media picked up the Weekly Standard's lie and repeated it until it became the story."

The phrase "catapulting the propaganda" comes from a comment made on May 24, 2005, by President George W. Bush: "See, in my line of work you got to keep repeating things over and over and over again for the truth to sink in, to kind of catapult the propaganda."

Supporting pro-war candidates ... again

On August 31, 2007, VFF began sponsoring 60-second TV ads, the first a Thank You spot as "a counterpoint to recent ads" by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and Americans United for Change "targeting Minnesota's Republican senator" Norm Coleman.

"The ad war [came] a year ahead of the 2008 Senate race, and at a time when Coleman's approval ratings have dropped to a record low of 43 percent, according to a July 16 Survey USA poll."

Insight into VFF's political ad campaign comes from a poll released August 15, 2007, that was conducted by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research in seven battleground states—Kentucky, Maine, Minnesota, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Mexico and Virginia. The poll found that GOP senators "would lose to generic Democratic candidates. And the main reason was that the public is upset over the war in Iraq."

"A trap is waiting for Republican incumbents and presidential contenders should they continue to back Bush on the Iraq war, Americans Against Escalation in Iraq, who commissioned the poll, wrote in a news release. "September might be their last chance to convince voters that they have truly rejected Bush’s strategy should he ask for more time based on General David Petraeus' report on the 15th."

"Stand by the American Mission in Iraq" petition

During the week before the Labor Day weekend, VFF executive director Pete Hegseth posted an appeal on the conservative Family Security Matters website, where he is a "contributing editor", and sent out emails linking to a petition posted on the VFF website. The petition is to be presented to members of Congress when "General Petraeus and the new U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker, will report to Congress in mid-September [2007] on the American effort." It reads in part:

"Iraq is now the central front in the War on Terrorism - not because Americans want it to be but because America's enemies have said so and made it so. Al-Qaeda and Iranian-backed militias are determined to drive the United States out of Iraq. Al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups would then use that country as a safe haven from which they can mount attacks on the U.S., its interests and allies.

"We recognize that the U.S. involvement in Iraq has divided Americans and that our leaders have made mistakes. We also recognize the cost of this war, not only in financial terms but, more importantly, in the loss of more than 3,000 of our bravest men and women. The issue, however, is not how or why U.S. forces became engaged in Iraq but, rather, what is happening there now and what would happen if we were to leave too soon."

Most interesting is a sentence which appears near the end of the petition: "America has a chance to strike a serious blow against terrorism and the ideologies that drive terrorism." Perspective comes from self-described "conservative liberal" Scott Bannon, who wrote the following in the September 4, 2006, American Chronicle:

"By it's very nature, the ideology of hatred is fueled and grows with each individual battle we are victorious in. For each enemy combatant killed, a spouse, child, brother, cousin and so on is inspired to elevate their simmering despisal of Western Culture into a boiling rage. With each enemy death, one or more new opponents are created.

"Now, before anyone accuses me of being 'soft' on terrorists or a 'surrender monkey'; let me make clear that in no way do I believe the policies of the past were sufficient--nor that those who commit or attempt to commit acts of terror should be forgiven. I don't.

"However, what I do believe is that a brute force attack against an abstract ideology is doomed to failure. I believe that to combat an ideology you must combat both those who use it to promote acts of terror, and the environment that it grows from. ...

"Fighting the individual fanatics of the ideology in combat operations is treating the symptoms of the problem, but the core problem--the tumor if you will--isn't addressed with this approach and will continue to breed more believers to battle."

Vets for Freedom chapters "fight back"

On August 9, 2007, executive director Pete Hegseth told the Washington Times' Eric Pfeiffer that VFF "will announce 25 state 'captains' — Afghanistan and Iraq war veterans who will lead a grass-roots effort to win back some measure of support for the war. They will recruit fellow veterans to attend town hall meetings hosted by senators during the summer recess."

An August 11, 2007, VFF news release stated that "Twenty-five state chapters were also stood up to counter the waves of misinformation about Iraq sponsored by MoveOn.org. ...

"State Captains will fan out across the state recruiting veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan to write op-eds and letters to the editor, attend town hall meetings, and meet directly with their Senators and Representatives."

"Veteran volunteers will stand toe-to-toe with MoveOn.org, VoteVets.org and Code Pink over the next two months in a battle over whether America will success or failure in Iraq," the news release stated.

"Paid activists from MoveOn.org or Code Pink will scream, chant, and bully members of Congress in August," Hegseth said in an August 8, 2007, news release. "But Vets for Freedom will use our experience-as veterans who have seen this war-to explain how we can win in Iraq and why we cannot afford to fail. No amount of screaming can overwhelm facts."

Writing letters

In an August 14, 2007, letter posted by the Cedar River Salmon Blog, VFF National Field Director Joel A. Arends called for support for Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) because anti-war activists MoveOn.org "[had] been shadowing him as he criss-crosses Iowa over the August recess." "Let's show the Senator that we have hometown heroes who support our troops and the mission by showing up [at an August 23 town hall meeting at the Cherokee County Courthouse] and thanking the Senator for his voting record. Let's not allow out of state liberal interest groups to one up us this most important of issues!," Arends wrote.

Ad wars round three: Arkansas, Kansas, Iowa, Maine and New Hampshire

In an August 14, 2007, viral email, VFF executive director Pete Hegseth wrote that VFF "has released television advertisements in 5 states ... and stood up State Chapters in 26 states. We plan to release 5 more TV ads this week, and formally announce 5 additional State Chapters."

On Sunday, August 19, 2007, VFF will "[unveil] a television ad that will urge seven senators, including Arkansas' Mark Pryor, not to 'surrender' in Iraq when Congress resumes its debate on the war next month," the Arkansas Democrat Gazette reported August 17, 2007. "In Arkansas, the ad will run for a week on the Fox, ABC and NBC affiliates in Fort Smith, Fayetteville and Little Rock and the ABC affiliate in Jonesboro."

"None of the veterans [in the ad] are from Arkansas," Davis wrote.

"Pryor is the only Democrat targeted. ... The other senators are Republican: Sam Brownback and Pat Roberts of Kansas, Judd Gregg and John Sununu of New Hampshire, Charles Grassley of Iowa and Olympia Snowe of Maine."

The following link to current VFF ads "Please Do Not Surrender", released August 15, 2007: Sen. Brownback; Sen. Grassley; Sen. Gregg;Sen. Pryor; Sen. Roberts; Sen. Snowe; and Sen. Sununu.

Ad wars round two: Kentucky, Nebraska, Virginia and Connecticut

In an August 8, 2007, press release, VFF executive director Pete Hegseth said

"We will not let paid political partisans co-opt the Iraq war debate ... Members of Congress must hear from the silent majority of Iraq veterans-those who have been on the ground, who understand the stakes, and who are confident that under General Petraeus' leadership we can defeat al-Qaeda."

"Paid activists from MoveOn.org or Code Pink will scream, chant, and bully members of Congress in August,... But Vets for Freedom will use our experience-as veterans who have seen this war-to explain how we can win in Iraq and why we cannot afford to fail. No amount of screaming can overwhelm facts."

On August 9, 2007, Hegseth told the Washington Times' Eric Pfeiffer that VFF "will begin airing TV ads this weekend in four states: Kentucky, Nebraska, Virginia and Connecticut. The ads will target senators whose support of the war may be wavering. One of the ads, titled 'Thank You,' will commend Sens. Norm Coleman, Minnesota Republican, and Joe Lieberman, Connecticut independent, for their support of the war."

"Another ad, titled 'Don't Surrender,' features veterans asking senators, including John W. Warner, Virginia Republican, and Ben Nelson, Nebraska Democrat, to vote against any legislation that sets a deadline for withdrawing American forces from Iraq," Pfeiffer wrote.

The ads ask Warner and Nelson, who "are seen as key swing votes in the fall when Congress reconsiders the U.S. mission in Iraq following a progress report by Army Gen. David Petraeus in September", "not 'to surrender to Al Qaeda,' arguing that Congress should not 'second-guess our commanders on the ground' and not 'sugarcoat retreat by calling it deployment.'"

"The ads will begin airing over the weekend [of August 11-12, 2007] and will run in most major media markets in each of the four states -- notably excluding New York City in the Connecticut media market and Washington in the Virginia media market, two of the most expensive markets in the country.

"'The buy is large enough to get our message in front of key audiences,' a spokesman for the group wrote in response to e-mail questions about the size of the media buy," Patrick O'Connor wrote August 7, 2007, in The Politico.

The following link to current VFF ads:

• "Thank You Sen. Joe Lieberman" for support of the war in Iraq.
• "Thank You Sen. Mitch McConnell" (R-KY) for support of the war in Iraq.
• "Please Do Not Surrender Sen. Nelson", "ad urging Sen. Ben Nelson not to surrender the War in Iraq."
• "Please Do Not Surrender Sen. Warner", "ad urging Sen. John Warner to surrender the War in Iraq."

Ad wars round one: launched in Minnesota

The Minnesota campaign was launched in early August 2007 with television ads thanking Sen. Norm Coleman, who supports Gen. David Petraeus's—and the Bush administration's—counterinsurgency strategy.

"'Veterans who have served in Iraq can provide a view point that no pundit, paid MoveOn.org protester, or poll company can compete with,' Thule said. 'We know the exhaustion of keeping watch in our humvees through the early hours of the morning, the joy on children's faces when we drive by, and the exhilaration of a successful project completed. All folks see back home is explosions - we have a much more in-depth perspective.'

The ad, Minnesota Public Radio's Mark Zdechlik reported August 2, 2007, "features comments from several men dressed in civilian clothes and identified as Iraq war veterans" who thank Coleman, "who's up for re-election next year, for his support of the war."

"'We know that you have been under pressure from people who are willing to accept defeat by Al Qaida in Iraq, and force us to leave that country before we complete our mission,' they said in the ad. 'As people who have proudly worn the uniform and seen the enemy first-hand, we would like you to know we believe in this mission and we're proud you do as well.'

"The ad concludes with the men saying they know the U.S. can prevail in Iraq, 'unless Congress surrenders first.'"

Pete Hegseth, VFF executive director, "said his group [had] bought spots on This Week, Fox News Sunday & Meet the Press [for August 5, 2007] ...[but] declined to say how much the group is spending on the ad buys in Minnesota, which will be accompanied by similar spots in at least two other states he wouldn't name -- one supporting a Democrat, one a Republican." The ad "will run for at least two weeks."

Coleman faces stiff competition in Minnesota, including Republican challenger retired Army officer and Vietnam, Desert Storm, and Iraq war veteran Joe Repya who "served in Iraq in 2005 with the Screaming Eagles of 101st Airborne Division", six members of the Minnesota Democratic-Farm-Labor Party—among which is radio talk show host and activist Al Franken—and one independent.

Democratic response

"Democrats, on the other hand, were happy the ad campaign would reinforce Coleman's support for President Bush's war strategy," the Associated Press reported August 2, 2007.

"'This is what we've been trying to do for a long time,' said Minnesota DFL [Democratic-Farm-Labor Party] Chair Brian Melendez. 'It's an honest ad. I won't say I couldn't have put together a better ad if I'd wanted to, but I almost would have paid for this.'

"Coleman has opposed Democratic plans for setting a withdrawal timeline. However, he has argued for a new strategy of training and counterinsurgency which he said would allow a large drawdown of U.S. troops by next year," the Associated Press reported.

Allahpundit of the conservative Hot Air Blog wrote August 3, 2007.:

"They're counting on the war’s unpopularity next year to help unseat Coleman, who's made noise about switching course but thus far has stuck with Bush on all the important Iraq votes. The left is anxious to advertise that fact. As far as they're concerned, VFF's doing their job for them. ... The irony is, he's going to end up switching anyway, probably in September."

VFF or VFF-AF ad buys?

First of all, it should be noted that, in May 2007, Vets for Freedom Action Fund (VFF-AF) reverted to identifying itself as Vets for Freedom (VFF)—both publicly and on its website. VFF is not a political action committee.

The August 1, 2007, Minneapolis Star Tribune article did not state whether VFF's ad buys fall under the rules of "Electioneering Communication". This would be a function of the organization's political action committee—VFF-AF.

Rose Garden photo-op props with President Bush

Pete Hegseth, executive director of Vets for Freedom, left, and others, look on as President Bush, center, speaks in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington on July 20, 2007. White House photo by Joyce N. Boghosian.

On July 20, 2007, President George W. Bush, who "has relied on veterans for support and credibility" since the war in Iraq began, met for an hour in the Oval Office "with members of four organizations that formed since the war began to represent Iraq veterans and military families." The group formed the "backdrop for a Rose Garden speech in which Bush asked Congress to let his 'surge' strategy work and for passage of a defense-spending bill that stalled last week when Senate Republicans blocked an amendment calling for withdrawal," Cory Reiss wrote July 23, 2007, in Lakeland, Florida's The Ledger.

While urging Congress to pass the defense spending bill before its August recess, Bush "repeated the words said to him" by VFF's Eric Egland—"We live in the world's oldest democracy and have been blessed with the strength to protect our freedoms and to help others who seek the same," Donna Miles reported for the American Forces Press Service.

Bush met not only with VFF's Egland, who is also the founder of Troops Need You, but also with members of Families United for Our Troops and Their Mission and Military Families Voice of Victory, Miles wrote.

Meeting with Bush on behalf of VFF were executive director Pete Hegseth, "retired Marine Capt. Knox Nunnally, retired Army Sgt. Mark Seavey, and retired Marine Lt. Wade Zirkle," Miles wrote.

"Win the War! Victory in Iraq" campaign

Call to action

Vets for Freedom, according to its new executive director Pete Hegseth, "plans to lead the charge to support General Petraeus and stop anti-war radicals and politicians—Democrats (and some Republicans) on Capitol Hill—from undermining the troops-and their mission-for the sake of short-term political gain," VFF states.

"Despite the great courage and success of our troops in Iraq, many Senate Republicans are wavering in their support for the mission. And in the past two weeks alone, 3 Republican senators have raised the white flag on Iraq. If just a few more defect, the Senate could over-ride a presidential veto and set a deadline for defeat."

VFF's call to action states: "If you believe America must defeat radical Islamists in Iraq, we need you to get involved with Vets for Freedom's 'Ten Weeks to Testimony.'

"For the next ten weeks, you will receive an email every Monday morning, outlining how you can make a difference during that week. This is a call to duty! The time for action is now!"

"Vets on the Hill" September 17/18, 2007

VFF's "Vets on the Hill" campaign, slated for September 17 and 18, 2007, is planned as a follow up—"on a much larger scale"—to its July 17, 2007, D.C. rally, where, it states, "Over 40 Vets for Freedom members joined together on Capitol Hill in July and helped stop Congress from voting to undercut the troops."

VFF is calling for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans to sign up so that VFF can "Schedule meetings for you with your Senators and Representative. In July we had to 'walk in'. On September 18th we want participants to have appointments."

According to its call for action, VFF is also looking for "Reserve high-profile speakers to address all Iraq and Afghanistan veterans on Monday night (September 17)." and to "Raise money to support the travel and lodging for ALL veterans. We plan to cover all air and ground travel costs, and lodging for the evening of September 17."

McCain: Petraeus to report to Congress on 9/11 anniversary

Gen. David Petraeus will now testify before Congress on September 11, 2007, the 6th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

"The timing of Petraeus' testimony was first revealed by Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) this morning in a conference call with conservative bloggers. According to the National Review's Jim Geraghty, McCain said he had 'been told' Petraeus would testify on the 11th:

"The calendar I’ve been told is that Petraeus testify 11th. We’re off September 13 and 14 for Rosh Hoshannah. The Senate debate will begin September 18th.

"Geraghty’s account of the conference call has been confirmed by other bloggers on the call, including the Weekly Standard's Michael Goldfarb and the American Spectator's Jennifer Rubin."

• Also see SourceWatch article "McCain to launch "No Surrender Tour."

Move America Forward's "Fight for Victory Tour" September 3-15, 2007

VFF will be joining Move America Forward on its "national, cross-country 'Fight for Victory Tour'" September 3-15, 2007, ending in Washington, D.C., where MAF will "have a rally with a collection of pro-troop groups" that includes VFF, Gathering of Eagles (GOE), Military Order of the Purple Heart, Free Republic, Protest Warrior, Eagles UP!., and Center for Vigilant Freedom (formerly known as The 910 Group)..

Also see September 15 Coalition and GOE information on Task Force EAGLE.

Vets for Freedom redux

On May 18, 2007, Vets for Freedom reverted to using its original name. Established in January 2006 as a non-profit organization, on July 25, 2006, its founders registered it as the Vets for Freedom Action Fund (VFF-AF), a Section 527 political action committee which functioned as a Republican lobbying front group to promote the re-election of Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.).

"The Freedom Update"

VFF added a new section on its website called "The Freedom Update", which is described as "Your daily source for the best Iraq war news and opinion."

Another mission change

VFF, self-described as a "nonpartisan organization" established by Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans, now states that its mission is "to educate the American public about the importance of achieving success in these conflicts by applying our first-hand [knowledge] to issues of American strategy and tactics—namely '"the surge" in Iraq" and that it "support[s] policymakers from both sides of the aisle who have stood behind our great generation of American warriors on the battlefield, and who have put long-term national security before short-term partisan political gain."

VFF states on its new donation page that it "needs your help to communicate America's strategy in Iraq and Afghanistan" and, "Without your support, the war debate will be dominated by defeatists like Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi, along with powerful anti-war groups. We cannot allow this to happen. Too much is at stake," VFF states. "Please donate today to make your voice heard. Your money will help us fight radical fringe groups who want to steer our country towards defeat in the name of gutter-ball partisan politics."

For background, see the article on VFF's previous mission changes.

Funding

A disclaimer on the bottom of each VFF web page states "Vets for Freedom is a nonpartisan, tax-exempt organization. Contributions are not deductible for federal income tax purposes."

Originally, the organization's precise tax status (501c3, 501c4, 527 committee) was not stated and virtually no information was available on the Vets for Freedom website about the funders and organizations behind Vets for Freedom, making it difficult to evaluate the degree to which the organization might have been part of a war propaganda campaign interacting with the Bush Administration, the Pentagon, the American Legion and/or other ideologically-driven public relations and lobbying efforts that have exploited for political purposes the issues of US war veterans and their families, such as Move America Forward and the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.

On February 19, 2007, the VFF-AF donated $4,227 to Vets for Freedom. The expediture was identified as a "Contribution to non-profit organization."

For more VFF-AF financial information, see "VFF-AF Funding."

Also see the VFF-AF article for information on VFF's and VFF-AF's donation endeavors, as well as the article on the Donatelli Group & the Swift Boat connection.

Headquarters

Although the mailing address for VFF is a post office box in Woodstock, VA, in 2006 Julie Kosterlitz wrote in the National Journal that Zirkle ran the 527 group Veterans for Freedom "out of a basement sublet in Washington, D.C."

Contact information

Fundraising / mailing address
Vets for Freedom - Donations
P.O. Box 314
132 North Main Street
Woodstock, VA 22664

FEC/IRS filing address
12097 South Middle Road
Edinburg, VA
E-mail: pete AT vetsforfreedom.org
E-mail for Owen West: owen.west AT gs.com

URL: http://www.vetsforfreedom.org/ and http://www.veteransforfreedom.org (redirect)

Note: The 132 North Main Street, Woodstock, VA, address is the same as that given for Denman Zirkle, contact for Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp 1657 (Turner Ashby) [1], named after Confederate General Turner Ashby.

Weblog

On May 8, 2006, Vets for Freedom established its blogsite "Vets for Freedom's Troop Blog" at http://www.vetsforfreedom.org/blog/, with the first entry by then Executive Director Wade Zirkle.

Resources

External resources/background

• John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt, "The Israel Lobby," London Review of Books (UK), March 23, 2006.