ShareThisBy TOM HUMPHREY
Thursday, November 09, 2006
An organization of U.S. military veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan is spending $480,000 in Tennessee to air a TV ad _ more than any group not affiliated with a political party _ that criticizes American policy in Iraq.
Though VoteVets Action Fund does not endorse any candidate in the U.S. Senate race, the chairman of the group, Jon Soltz, said that the contest between Bob Corker and Harold Ford Jr. is a major reason that Tennesseans are being targeted in the "issue advocacy" ad.
"The Tennessee race is the hottest race in America," said Soltz. "Our soldiers are asking the citizens of Tennessee not to be silent and to demand a change of course in Iraq."
Soltz, an Iraq veteran from Pittsburgh, also indicated in a telephone interview where his personal sentiments lie in the Tennessee contest.
"This is not an endorsement. But if you ask me what Iraq veterans feel, I know what they feel and that is that Harold Ford stands with the troops. He is a man I know will support our troops and fix our course in Iraq," Soltz said.
"Clearly, we are not happy with way things have been run by this (Bush) administration," he added. "I don't know about Mr. Corker, but we haven't been getting that (change in policy) from the Republican-controlled Congress."
The ad features four veterans who served in Iraq, including Soltz in the Tennessee version, plus retired U.S. Army Gen. Wesley Clark, who has campaigned for Ford, a Democrat.
A similar ad is being aired nationwide, Soltz said, as a response to a Republican-sponsored ad that shows a picture of Osama Bin Laden and suggests that election of Democrats would lead to more terrorism.
In both the Tennessee and national versions, three of the veterans _ one with an amputated arm _ say, in sequence, that "because of Iraq," Bin Laden is "still a threat," "our military is spread too thin" and "there are more terrorists in the world."
Then Clark appears and says, "Because of Iraq, America is less secure." In the national version, Clark goes on to say, "so if you see commercials telling you to be afraid of terrorism, remember: It's because of Iraq."
Clark's role ends after the "less secure" line in the Tennessee version. Instead, Soltz appears to say, "We can fix our course in Iraq and find a much better way to keep America safe. Saying these things out loud is patriotic.
"America, please, support our troops. Don't be silent now."
The ad, which began airing statewide in Tennessee Wednesday, will continue through Election Day, Soltz said. The $480,000 expenditure in Tennessee is more than is being spent by VoteVets in any other state.
That amount is also more than is being spent in election-oriented ads in Tennessee by any out-of-state group not affiliated with either the Republican or Democratic political parties. The runner-up is National Right to Life PAC, which has spent $244,955 to help Corker, the Republican nominee, with radio ads and direct mail.
VoteVets, which has a Web site at www.votevets.org, is a tax-exempt nonprofit organization and, as such, cannot specifically endorse candidates. An affiliate PAC has endorsed Iraq and Afghanistan veterans seeking office in some other states.
