'Midwest heroes,' my ass

Posted by Laura Barcella at 12:32 PM on February 10, 2006.

Yesterday a savvy AlterNet reader named Dan sent a tip about "this UNBELIEVABLE commercial the Administration is airing in Minnesota…Everybody should see this to understand just how far they're prepared to go with the lies."

So I visited the offending (and laughably-titled) website (MidwestHeroes.com). Who are these "Midwest heroes?" Mouthpieces for the Bush regime, disguised as former American soldiers, of course! They explain 'emselves this way: "We're defeating the terrorists and neutralizing the insurgents. Our troops are helping the Iraqi people and their new democracy transition to self-reliance. And in doing so, we're securing America from the threats of radical al Qaeda terrorists…"

Repulsed, I watched the video for myself. And oh my, Dan -- you're right. It's unbelievable.

"The media only reports the bad news," some white dude in a suit informs us while 'patriotic' music surges. "But we're making real progress in Iraq, defending our country from radical Al-Qaeda terrorists who want to destroy America, beginning in Iraq…You'd never know it by the news reports, but our enemy in Iraq is Al-Qaeda, the same terrorists who killed 3000 people on 9/11, the same terrorists from the USS Cole, Madrid, London, and many more…"

Watch for yourself... then feel free to Puke. Rinse. Repeat.

The website is part of the Progress for America Voter Fund ("PFA-VF", a conservative advocacy group that wants to "reduce the lopsided advertising advantage that liberal 527s have on the campaign trail today."

For an alternate take on "midwestern heroes," visit Al Franken's Midwest Values PAC.

Laura Barcella is AlterNet's front page editor.