USO Partners with MoveOn.Org

Some supporters of the military have wondered why in the past 3-4 years or so the USO, a nonprofit,  nonpartisan organization whose mission is to support the troops by providing morale, welfare and recreation-type services to soldiers, seems to have been unable to procure much good, quality entertainment for the troops in theater. Maybe Hollywood and the entertainment industry have strayed far from the days of Bob Hope. Maybe entertainers are simply afraid of being in the war zones of Iraq and Afghanistan. Or maybe it’s something else.

The Associated Press is reporting:

The chairman of the United Service Organizations defended its decision to pair with MoveOn.Org to provide phone cards to U.S. troops after some USO board members were outraged by a partnership with a group that opposes the Iraq war.

At least one board member, Vietnam veteran John Gioia, called for USO President Edward Powell to be fired over his decision to accept more than $350,000 from MoveOn's members to buy phone cards for troops overseas.

In September, MoveOn angered opponents and even some supporters by placing an advertisement in The New York Times in advance of congressional testimony by Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, about the status of President Bush's war strategy. The ad said, "General Petraeus, or General Betray Us?"

That's hardly a sentiment felt by USO board members, many of whom are retired military officers or Bush appointees.

There were rumblings of discontent over Powell's decision last month to accept MoveOn's offer to e-mail its 3.3 million members soliciting $15 contributions to pay for the phone cards.

"USO is partnering with an anti-war, anti-administration organization that castigates the efforts of General Petraeus and our troops - past and present - who have served in Iraq," Gioia said in an e-mail to other USO directors and employees. "I am disgusted by this action."

Pete Hegseth, executive director of Vets for Freedom, gave this excellent interview on the O’Reilly Factor and surmises that MoveOn.Org isn’t interested in supporting their image, but rather patching their image because the war is improving and that MoveOn is simply too partisan for the USO’s non-partisan efforts:

Hugo Chavez collaborates with foes of America around the world while keeping a segment of the U.S. population appreciative by bribing poor Americans with cheap oil. This is a Hugo Chavez moment for the USO; will USO leadership have the character to reject a handout from MoveOn.Org and more importantly, will it allow the troops to be used by MoveOn to try to repair their image?

This odd partnership raises questions about the poor support for the troops the USO has been able to produce in Iraq and Afghanistan.

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Comments

[Frank]

Doesn't the USO realize that financial support from conservative vets like me will completely stop and the difference can't possibly be made up from liberals?

[Amy Proctor]

Frank, I think the USO chairman needs to go. He has been unsuccessful in getting big name celebrities to perform for the troops and to say Iraq and Afghanistan are dangerous or controversial doesn't add up. Vietnam was certainly both and celbs from Bob Hope on down cheered up the troops anyway.

I'm not a conspiracy theorist but I have a bad feeling about this. And your point is well made.

[Mike]

This is just adding insult to injury, in my mind. They were lambasted for their personal attacks on Petraeus and our troops, to the detriment of all of us, and they are now trying to purchase some "good will" from the President of the USO. How he could take money from these people, even for such a great cause, is beyond me.

[Brian H]

Yeah, his stats suck. Time for a trade.