The 21st Century Soldier: Supports Gay Rights, Clean Energy and Is Often Progressive

There are two ads out on national cable networks these days that you may have seen.

One depicts a U.S. military truck exploding as it winds its way down a dirt road, presumably somewhere in Iraq or Afghanistan. The cause? An explosively formed projectile, hailing from Iran and specially designed to destroy American military vehicles, we're told. The image of the always-creepy Mahmoud Ahmadinejad flashes on the screen and the word "enemies" is oft-repeated.

The second ad also invokes Iran as America's foe, while a narrator tells us that nation makes $100 million every day "selling oil around the world and peddling hate."

Sounds like visceral kindling designed for the right-wing propaganda machine, doesn't it? Not quite. Fox News rejected these ads, calling them too confusing. Yet there is nothing perplexing about the ads -- in fact, they are very clear, and much easier to follow than Glenn Beck's conspiratorial chicken-scratch.

The ads' messages are anchored around clean energy legislation, currently being debated in Congress. A very precise line is drawn, connecting America's oil addiction to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and related national security problems. As soon as the doom and gloom images evoking the "war on terror" subside, the clouds part to reveal landscapes of wind turbines spinning against blue skies. Passing the clean energy bill, the ads say, will cut our oil dependence in half and cut oil profits for "hostile nations" like Iran.

Both ads are the brainchild of VoteVets.org, a pro-military organization founded by young vets of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and which seeks to be the voice of what it calls the "21st-century soldier." Its action fund is focused on educating the public on military issues, the wars, and holding politicians accountable, while its political action committee seeks to bolster the campaigns of politicians -- especially veterans of the ongoing Persian Gulf wars -- who will represent today's service-members and veterans.

Founded in 2006, the organization has grown to count 100,000 people from all 50 states as members. Its sizable coffers -- $2 million have gone into sending those two clean energy ads onto national airwaves alone -- have lent VoteVets.org serious Beltway clout.

But perhaps the most interesting thing about VoteVets.org is how much it differs from other pro-military, pro-veterans groups. Indeed, it spends its money and energy promoting liberal policy issues (and candidates who support them). Its list of legislative priorities includes closing Guantanamo, repealing Don't Ask Don't Tell, and, of course, passing the clean energy bill.

In its role as a center-left organization appealing to -- and being one with -- the pro-military crowd, VoteVets.org is uniquely positioned to appeal to conservatives and moderates who might otherwise turn a deaf ear to progressive issues.

From war to activism

VoteVets.org was founded by two young Iraq war veterans, Jon Soltz and Jeremy Broussard. Both came back disillusioned with the prospects of success in Iraq, and their experiences have informed the organization's position that Iraq was never the right war. (Afghanistan, on the other hand, is the right fight though VoteVets.org disagrees with how both this administration and the prior one have focused on a counter-insurgency strategy as opposed to a counter-terrorist strategy which would require sending fewer troops into combat less often.)

Peter Granato, 31, who served for 14 months in Iraq in 2003 and 2004 and today is VoteVet.org's vice-chairman says, "A lot of people, myself included, were not very politically active prior to Iraq. We didn't really ask a lot of questions. But being in Iraq all the time made me -- made us -- wonder, why are we here?"