PAC Man: Iraq Veteran’s Group Supports Anti-War Candidates — Interview with Tim Goodrich, Executive Director, Iraq Veterans for Progress

Interview with Tim Goodrich,
Executive Director, Iraq Veterans for Progress

ANGELES, Calif. Tim Goodrich has seen the Iraq war from both sides first hand.

During his final deployment, he participated in the bombing of Iraq in support of Operation Southern Watch Operation, which was the enforcement of the southern no-fly zone over Iraq.

While this bombing campaign occurred in the fall of 2002, President Bush told the American people that diplomacy would be used on the Iraq regime first. U.S. Congress nor the United Nations had been approached at this time to give the administration the authority to inflict force against the oil-bearing country.

Knowing this, Goodrich completed his enlistment and was honorably discharged in April of 2003.

As a civilian, he was able to travel to Iraq to witness the horrors of war and occupation in January 2004, and since then, he has spoken out against the occupation of Iraq and co-founded Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW).

Recently, Goodrich has turned his attention to finding political means by which to bring the 140,00-plus U.S. troops home from Iraq. Last month, he formed a Iraq Veterans for Progress, a political action committee that supports candidates for federal office that meet the organization’s criteria.

The Lone Star Iconoclast’s Nathan Diebenow spoke with Goodrich by phone last week to talk about the make-up of his PAC group, the current political climate, and the future.

Here is that interview:

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ICONOCLAST: Why did you form Iraq Veterans for Progress?

GOODRICH: I worked on a primary congressional campaign here in California in the Spring, and when that was over, I decided to combine my two passions of politics and ending the war. It was a natural fit.

ICONOCLAST: Before you founded Iraq Veterans for Progress, you co-founded Iraq Veterans Against the War. What is the relationship between the two organizations?

GOODRICH: There really is no relationship. Iraq Veterans Against the War is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit, and we’re a political action committee. So legally we can’t have anything to do with each other anyway.

ICONOCLAST: How is this Iraq Veterans For Progress PAC different from any other political action committee?

GOODRICH: I think it’s really important to highlight the model we’re using to affect change in these candidates’ races. Instead of doing the traditional political action committee where we just send money to the campaigns as a contribution, we’re doing something that’s a lot more effective because we’re using the voices of our veterans who have returned from Iraq. We’re taking unemployed Iraq war veterans and putting them to work on these campaigns. Then, not only are you supporting the candidate because they are able to show that Iraq veterans support their plan to bring the troops home and they’re working on my campaign, but you’re getting the message out to the media that the troops need to come home, which I think a majority of the public knows, but there are still some that need to hear that. Finally, most importantly, the veterans themselves are getting a paycheck and job experience.

ICONOCLAST: So they’re not working as volunteers. They’re working as paid staff.

GOODRICH: