Iraq Vets Form PAC, Address Bush's State of the Union

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, the largest group of Iraq and Afghan vets, has launched a political action campaign called IAVA PAC. It's the first and only PAC headed by Iraq vet, Jon Soltz, to benefit Iraq vets running for office.

In response to concerns that Bush will not fully address Iraq and the problems the troops face there in his State of the Union address, Stolz said, "It is a disgrace and an affront to all of us who have served and still are serving in Iraq, if the President chooses to downplay a discussion of the war. Additionally, the course of war in Iraq is inexorably tied to every other issue facing this country - from the economy to our readiness to deal with natural and terrorist disasters. To ignore Iraq is to ignore a major factor influencing every issue this nation faces."

"This is a failure of leadership. The President still has not told us what hard metrics will be used to determine victory in Iraq, and therefore it is impossible for him to say how much time and money we will have to commit to the war effort. Until he can tell us that, it will be impossible for him to say how many resources we will have available to address any other issue."

"This is why we need Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans in the halls of power."