For the last couple of weeks I’ve been slipping word into my diaries that VoteVets.org was about to launch a community blog—a blog on which I would be the editor. Well, today’s the day—officially. While we’ve already been writing there and promoting it passively, today marks the official launch of VetVoice—the only pro-military, anti-Bush administration community blog actually written by Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and their families.
And we’re starting off with a bang: Six presidential candidates (update: now seven) will be addressing the troops and veterans today on VetVoice to explain what they would do on military and veterans’ issues as President of the United States.
Click here to check it out.
If you haven’t been over there yet, VetVoice is the online home of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. It’s a site for Active Duty, Reserve, and National Guard members, as well as for veterans, their families, and their supporters. And we designed it the way we did for a reason: Thus far, there has been no center of gravity for our movement. Patriotic but angry active duty troops, disillusioned veterans, and anguished family members have had no centrally located online home in which they could look critically at the issues they’re facing—and offer solutions at the same time. But now they do.
With the 2008 election season in full swing, our intent is for VetVoice to function as the collective voice of the military community—a community that has largely turned its back on Bush administration policies. We’re going to use our collective experiences in Iraq, Afghanistan, the home front, and elsewhere, to generate momentum against those who not only got us into this international mess in Iraq, but also those who allowed Osama bin Laden to escape unpunished into the mountains of Afghanistan and Pakistan.
And to kick it all off, we’re very fortunate to have a number of presidential contenders addressing the troops, the veterans, and their families today on VetVoice. While we invited them all--both Democrats and Republicans--six accepted the offer. And we’re letting them have their say in the order in which they responded. Here are the candidates and their times:
9:30 ET – John Edwards
10:45 ET – Ron Paul
12:00 ET – Chris Dodd
1:15 ET – Hillary Clinton
2:30 ET – Barack Obama
3:45 ET – Joe Biden
So please stop by VetVoice to see what they have to say—and maybe even set up an account.
This is just one of the ways in which we're going to re-build our military. And until one of the above candidates is elected President of the United States, we will do it like this—we will do it from within.
UPDATE: Tack on one more:
5:00 ET - Bill Richardson