Vets for Freedom Causes McCain-Feingold Conflict of Interest Irony

A group called Vets for Freedom has begun to run Internet ads attacking Barack Obama for his anti-Iraq War position and, in so doing, has caused political irony. Senators Lindsey Graham and Joe Lieberman have had to resign as advisors to the group because of McCain-Feingold conflict of interest provisions.

Graham and Lieberman also hold positions in the McCain for President Campaign. McCain-Feingold prohibits people with a specific title in a Presidential campaign to also be involved in a 527 or other independent group that runs ads supporting or opposing a Presidential candidate.

Vets for Freedom is a grassroots organization that advocates victory in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Vets for Freedom have recently run Internet ads, featuring Iraq or Afghan war veterans, attacking Barack Obama for advocating withdraw from Iraq and for refusing to meet with American military commanders, such as General Petreaus, even while being willing to meet with anti American dictators such as Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Vets for Freedom seem to have a similar approach to opposing the Obama candidacy as a 2004 527 group, Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, had in opposing the John Kerry candidacy. The Swift Boat Veterans, most of whom had served with John Kerry in Vietnam, were devastating in puncturing Senator Kerry's claims of war heroism. Vets for Freedom is not a 527 group, but rather a 501 ©(4) nonprofit group, which is a designation sought more and more by organizations seeking to enter the political process.

Observers of the political scene cannot help but appreciate the irony of the McCain Campaign being caught up in the rules in McCain's own signature piece of legislation that were first in the spirit of high minded reform. McCain has also had trouble raising money, partly because of his own McCain-Feingold reforms.

The McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance Reform law has been criticized by civil libertarians and small government conservatives because of its restrictions on campaign fund raising but also on the broadcast of ads by independent groups that call for the election of a defeat of political candidates. These provisions, many suggest, would seem to actually restrict free speech in contrary to the First Amendment of the US Constitution. The US Supreme Court, however, has yet to take that view.

Nevertheless, there is an old saying that goes like this: "You can change the rules, but you can never stop the game." McCain-Feingold may prove an inconvenience, but one thing that political candidates have in abundance are lawyers. Lawyers can be very adroit at finding ways to circumnavigate their way around laws and other rules. The ultimate irony of all, though, is that Senator John McCain will have to find ways to get around the very law that he was so passionate in getting passed.

Sources: 2 senators for McCain leave vets group after ads, Michael Luo, International Herald Tribune, May 29th, 2008
Vets for Freedom
Vets for Freedom Ad