The donors behind those new TV ads

Posted: Wednesday, August 22, 2007 4:29 PM by Mark Murray
Filed Under: White House, Security

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro and Mark Murray
The donors who are financing the new multi-million-dollar TV ad campaign arguing against a withdrawal from Iraq include a Who's Who of former Bush Administration ambassadors (to plum assignments like France, Italy, and Malta); a least one of Bush's original Pioneers; the man ranked by Forbes (in 2006) as the third-richest American; and, of course, former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer.

Brad Blakeman, the president of Freedom's Watch, which is running these ads, released the following names as donors to his group. Blakeman told NBC that the rest of the donors are choosing to be anonymous. Freedom's Watch is a 501(c)4 organization, which can collect unlimited contributions and doesn't have to disclose its donors.

Here they are....

-- Anthony Gioia, former ambassador to Malta. Per a White House press release announcing his appointment as ambassador, "Gioia is presently the Chairman and CEO of Gioia Management Company, a management and investment holding company located in Buffalo, New York."

-- Kevin Moley, whom Bush appointed U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations and Other International Organizations in Geneva in September 2001. Per the White House press release announcing his appointment, Moley "was a private investor and served on the Board of Directors of five publicly held companies and three privately held companies. He previously served as a consultant to Kinetra LLC, the successor company to Integrated Medical Systems Inc., which Ambassador Moley served as President and CEO. Ambassador Moley was also Senior Vice President of PCS Health Systems, Inc."

-- Mel Sembler, whom Bush appointed as US ambassador to Italy in 2001. According to a State Department bio, Stembler was "most recently the Chairman of the Board of The Sembler Company, one of the nation's leading shopping center developers. He is nationally recognized as an activist in the anti-drug campaign and as a staunch, long-time supporter of the Republican Party and its candidates."

-- Howard Leach, who was Bush's ambassador to France from 2001-2005 and an original Bush Pioneer. Per the US embassy's Web site, Leach is "an entrepreneur, investor and chief executive. He began his career as founder and president of several agri-business corporations. He has served as president and major shareholder of numerous industrial and financial companies."

-- Dr. John Templeton is chairman and president of the John Templeton Foundation

-- Edward Snider

-- Sheldon Adelson, casino mogul, ranked as the third-richest American (worth $20 billion) according to Forbes in 2006

-- Richard Fox

-- Ari Fleischer, former White House press secretary

-- Gary Erlbaum

-- Matt Brooks

EMAIL THIS

Comments

I WOULD "LOVE" GEORGE BUSH TO RESIGN.

MARK FOLEY, WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA (Sent Wednesday, August 22, 2007 4:42 PM)

Freedom's Watch...don't ya just love these names. Should have been called "Foundation of Bushies with a Debt to Repay". If I join, can I be an Ambassador? I would like to be posted in, let's see, how about a small island in the Caribbean? What a joke.

Al, KS (Sent Wednesday, August 22, 2007 4:58 PM)

What I really want to know is which of these 'supporters' are affiliated with the war profiteers such as Halliburton, Blackwater, KBR, etc. There are a lot of people who have a vested monetary interest in continuing the war indefinitely, are tehse the same people?

M Toth, Hatboro PA (Sent Wednesday, August 22, 2007 5:24 PM)

Amazingly enough this group is running $15 million of ads against Republicans in vulnerable districts/states. The only Democrat on the list is Pryor of Arkansas. Interestingly anti war groups are also running ads against many of the same people. So what do you do when you get slammed by both the right and the left? The most prominent Republican being targetted by both the pro and anti war groups - Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell - wonder how he feels to be targetted by Ari Fleishcer !! This is hilarious :-)

U2 (Sent Wednesday, August 22, 2007 5:24 PM)

Ari Fleischer? Dang that west wing pay must pretty good.
All funded by well to do individuals in response to the Ad Campaign funded by "Americans Against Escalation in Iraq". hmmmmm Guess you're not gonna tell us who "Americans Against Escalation in Iraq" is.
Ok you twisted my arm. Here they are. You'll find them a tad more broad based than the
Millionaires for Apocalypse now Dammit. (MAD)

Americans Against Escalation in Iraq is a group of independent entities, including the Service Employees International Union, MoveOn.org Political Action, VoteVets.org, Center for American Progress Action Fund, USAction, Win Without War, Campaign for America's Future, the United States Student Association, Working Assets, Americans United for Change, Campus Progress Action and Nation Security Network, that have banded together as a coalition to launch a multi-faceted, multi million dollar effort in fifteen target states to education the American public about the true costs of the war in Iraq, mobilize opposition against President Bush's Iraq policy, as well as apply on-going pressure on members of Congress to oppose this failed policy.

Gary Schear, Bozeman Montana (Sent Wednesday, August 22, 2007 5:37 PM)

Exactly M Toth! I want to know how, other than their cushy assignments abroad, how are these so-called Freedom Watchers, profiting from continued hostilities now? These folks obviously have nothing better to do with their money.

JWilson, Atlanta, GA (Sent Wednesday, August 22, 2007 5:39 PM)

I just saw their ad and I am shaking with rage. How dare they use our veterans this way? How dare they use 9/11 images this way? Let them tell me the names of the Iraqis that took over the planes on 9/11 and I will listen to them. Meanwhile I want their lies off my television.

SME, Rochester NY (Sent Wednesday, August 22, 2007 6:24 PM)

Gary: Why did you not mention that many of these ''independants''are being funded not by a ''millionare''but by a billionare, one George Soros,who made his dough off of Saudi arms sales while at CARLYLE and who now owns two million shares of HALLIBURTON?[vastly more than Cheney, and Bush, who does not own a dime in that company].

Lee Holmes (Sent Wednesday, August 22, 2007 6:41 PM)

Freedom Watchers-Please! They love to wrap themselves around catchy little jingoisms that really means that if you do not agree with them you are not patriotic, anti-American, lack moral values, and the dreaded liberal commie. Their typical fascist methodology. Thankfully, 65-70% American are not not buying it.

juan,ft lauderdale,fl (Sent Wednesday, August 22, 2007 7:42 PM)

Typical. Dem/Lib money clean. Conservative/Republican money dirty. Would that we were all so pure as Gary's list.

I would like a full disclosure of what percentage of their funds come from MoveOn.Org aka George Soros. I doubt the monetary support for AAEI are as "broad based" as Gary would have us believe.

Their web site doesn't say much about their funding, which doesn't seem to be as transparent as Freedom Watch.

Richard, Washington State (Sent Wednesday, August 22, 2007 7:55 PM)

how many soldiers are in that group not christian soldiers but US army.Much like that pundit matt canadetti from the new republic telling people tp fight while they stay home and make money.PRICELESS or SHAMEFUL

ken "PUT UP OR SHUT UP chickenhawk"O (Sent Wednesday, August 22, 2007 8:02 PM)

Gee, what a surprise; the rich and powerful and well-connected lying to the sheep and proles again. Golly, THAT'S never happened before!

Class Warrior, D.C. (Sent Wednesday, August 22, 2007 8:03 PM)

didnt ari fleshpeddler get tired of lying about the Iraq war yet isnt that why he jumped georges ship and let scottie dog take over then snow job tony whos the next lying son of a draft doging deferment getting tough guy

Kenn"keep it up and youll all go fight in iraq"O (Sent Wednesday, August 22, 2007 8:05 PM)

They don't want US to withdraw from US. They desperately want a chance to send their kids to the war and be wasted there.

mm,ma (Sent Wednesday, August 22, 2007 8:50 PM)

They don't want US to withdraw from US. They desperately want a chance to send their kids to the war and be wasted there.

mm,ma (Sent Wednesday, August 22, 2007 8:50 PM)

Hey Folks,
This is a perfect example of The "Elite Rich" in action !!
Just a guess , I would not be afraid to say not a one has a son or daughter in IRAQ or Afghanistan !!!
THese silver spooned maniacs are scared to death their going to lose a chance at the Iraq Oil.
Bush and his cronies are a bunch of bums who could care less about our troops or the common American !!!!

Ken Collins/Wagoner Oklahoma (Sent Wednesday, August 22, 2007 9:48 PM)

Gary...wow...you managed to call MoveOn.org an "Independent" entity? What's next? The non-partisan Daily Kos?

The Dogg (Sent Wednesday, August 22, 2007 10:58 PM)

Gary...also noticed that you have a union in there as "independent". Hmmm...somehow that union has only run ads supporting Democrats. People are ripping the name "Freedom Watch", but have no problem with "Center for American Progress". Yeah...that sounds great, and they even mention on their website that they are nonpartisay. Of course it's run by John Podesta, a Democrat, and former Bill Clinton Chief of Staff. It's seed money was supplied by that bastion of independence George Soros. I have no problem with ripping into big money donors, but you need to be honest and realize that both sides use it.

The Dogg (Sent Wednesday, August 22, 2007 11:04 PM)

The names of these Conservative groups simply amaze me. They are completely misleading, with the name "Freedom Watch" being the most ridiculous. Why do these people need to protect (watch) freedom??? What they are really doing is watching our freedoms slowly wither away. Case in point... look at the recent revelation in the Wash Post about how the Bush Admin has a manual for handling anti-Bush protestors at Bush events!! People have been arrested (later released with no charges) for protesting at a Bush appearance. Thank you, der Fuhrer Bush, for lending more credence to the feeling that our country has become less and less free with fewer liberties and more secretive government. (My apologies for any offense being made with my reference to the worst dictator in the 20th century, but our country is not heading in the proper direction by becoming more secretive with fewer freedoms and liberties than we had in 2000, which is similar to what occurred in Germany in the early 1930's, albeit far worse than where we now are with the Bush Administration.)

Nick, Ohio (Sent Thursday, August 23, 2007 10:00 AM)

I hope Americans wake up and realize that both Democrats and Republicans are using the war and the servicemembers families for their own agenda. America - STOP DRINKING THE KOOL-AID. Read, research these candidates and what they stand for! Don't agree with a dem just because of your voting affiliation. Repubs, the same thing. Listen and Learn!

Jane Doe, Hartford, CT (Sent Thursday, August 23, 2007 10:10 AM)

The Dogg-I understand that both sides use it but since being threatened with a permanent Republican Majority and watching the failure of the past seven years I have a vested interest in the other side winning and seeing the Republican Party eat humble pie for quite a few years. No one is Independent. The term Independent came from their website in the cut and paste. I was pointing to a number of large partisan organizations with many members supporting one side (broad based) and the relatively few personal donors supporting the other. Some of which where ashamed enough of their donation that they chose to remain anonymous. In our system I am given two false choices. Republican and Democrat. I make no apologies for the side I choose to support at any given time. I make no apologies for any partisan arguments I put forth to support that side. I would love a third and a forth choice but I choose not to waste effort on candidates who can't win because of the way the system is. So what is the point of your posts? Pointing out that I have a political preference? That I have an Agenda? Duh!
My agenda at this time is an unnecessary War, and the defeat of the pompous, self righteous, false patriotic, political party that allowed an incompetent, privileged losing slacker to rise to it's top and inflict Administrative malpractice on this nation.

Gary Schear, bozeman Montana (Sent Thursday, August 23, 2007 10:41 AM)

I don't care who donates to which adds but the content of the pro-Iraq add has to be offensive to a large majority of people. Did they test this on a focus group at all? It is blatant propaganda, using 9/11 images to rekindle fear and using a crippled US soldier as basically a political pawn. I think this add will backfire as it is such an obvious attempt at manipulation. Isn't anyone tired of being treated this way? They must think we're idiots.

AP in IL (Sent Thursday, August 23, 2007 11:12 AM)

"the defeat of the pompous, self righteous, false patriotic, political party that allowed an incompetent, privileged losing slacker to rise to it's top and inflict Administrative malpractice on this nation."

----------------

Please do not speak of Bill Clinton in this manner. He is a great, great man.

Cade McNown, Burbank, CA (Sent Thursday, August 23, 2007 11:23 AM)

Responding to a post from yesterday - didn't get a chance to read it yesterday.

Would some "believer" please tell me exactly how many American lives need to be lost before the Iraqis get their act together? I would also like to hear why anyone outside of this administration believes the various Iraqi factions will EVER be able to agree

Mike Adelson, Cambria, CA (Sent Wednesday, August 22, 2007 5:23 PM)

How long do you think we had to occupy Japan and Germany before things started straightening out so that they could become the democracies they are today?

How much do you think the citizens of Japan and Germany loved our troops in the early years?

Do you think those efforts were worth the cost?

Everyone talks about Vietnam - our failure, no one talks about Japan, Germany, for that matter - all of Europe getting rebuilt - the Marshall Plan cost us billions upon billions when a billion was a lot of money, South Korea - in all of these cases we were very successful in giving the countries the chance to rebuild from war and establish democratic societies - and, if you are old enough to remember those times, as I am, you know that those places were just as filled with hatred and divided societies as Iraq - not based on religion so much but still there - based on who had and who had lost power - those years were not easy times for us to stick to the effort to stay in those countries - many here wanted to bail out on those countries as well

Again, I ask - do you think those efforts were worth the price?

JG San Antonio, Texas (Sent Thursday, August 23, 2007 11:49 AM)

ah---9/11 once again---how many times must the Bushies wave this bloody shirt that brought about the Iraq war in our faces----as ari said he does not know the name of the legless vet in his ad----a real hands on guy.the Bush zombies are back---is there an election?

HMT-MI (Sent Thursday, August 23, 2007 11:52 AM)

The strategy seems to be this. To keep the occupation going till after Bush leaves office so that the blame for whatever happens will fall onto Bush's predecessor. It's all about saving Bush's "legacy". As is typical with Bush when he causes whatever he touches to fail, someone has to bail him out. The consequence of failure will not only reflect badly on Bush but on the Republicans - and we all know that they cannot allow this to happen - no matter how many people have to die.

Mike, Castro Valley, CA (Sent Thursday, August 23, 2007 12:23 PM)

JG:
Japan attacked the US, and Germany declared war on the US after invading most of Europe. What did Iraq do again?

Siegfried, Central Illinois (Sent Thursday, August 23, 2007 3:13 PM)

JG San Antonio, Texas
Would some "believer" please tell me exactly how many American lives need to be lost before the Iraqis get their act together?

Eight.

True Believer (Sent Thursday, August 23, 2007 3:21 PM)

SHAMELESS...ABSOLUTELY SHAMELESS
If this latest political slime is any indication of things to come, better get your rubber rain boots handy; it's going to get deep and stinky. In this latest political commercial, as is true of all the reallly ugly ones, the slime throwers use some lofty patriotic sounding name, like "land of the free; home of the brave" to hide behind but otherwise one does not know who made it and, more to the point, who paid for it. (If you were behind it, would you want your name up in lights?)

In this latest one, a young father comes out his front door to talk to us. One leg has been amputated at the knee. An Iraq war vet. , the young man complements the Bush "surge" and implies that all the troops in Iraq believe that Bush is on the right track.

To take advantage of the hard-ships endured by this young man and other soldiers as well, and by using our American servicemen and women as political props is the lowest form of distortion in political discourse. It is shameless...absolutely shameless.

To so transparently try to put Americans who want an end to the Iraq war on one side and to place our courageous troops on the other is, frankly, un-American. Freedom loving Americans of all political beliefs must condemn such flagrant attempts to divide us from one another.

pservelle, palm springs, ca. (Sent Thursday, August 23, 2007 4:28 PM)

The new tv ads make me ever so thankful for the mute button.

Steve A. Jonesboro IN (Sent Thursday, August 23, 2007 4:38 PM)

Ari Fletcher put your money where your mouth is,,,enlist in the ARMY Infantry...chickensh*t!

I hyope the BLATANT LIE of linking 9/11 to Iraq BLOWS UP in Cheney/Fletcher's face...FINALLY!

btw learn the amputee vet's NAME you sleazy huckster Fletcher!

Mark, BR,LA (Sent Friday, August 24, 2007 12:29 AM)

Ari Fleisher was on Morning Joe yesterday promoting Bush's Iraq War and Joe could not have more approving.

The only thing which could have stopped Joe from gushing his praise would have been if his sons were in the Army.

I wonder why they haven't enlisted yet???????????????????????????????????

Midwest Maggie (Sent Friday, August 24, 2007 1:13 AM)

AP IN IL..Of course they will fall for for it.
Who voted for shrub in the first place, all the idiots that will eat up this plate full of propaganda , the pigs need 2nd helpings.

H P Boston (Sent Friday, August 24, 2007 9:30 AM)

We are the laughing stock of the world with how Bush and Corporations divert are attention so easily, whether it be Michael Vick, Lindsey Lohan, Paris Hilton or the latest reality tv show and it's manipulated drama. We deserve to lose our democracy when it's being dissolved right in front of our eyes and no one is taking to the streets. There comes a point when talk is not any good against people like Bush who think they have devine right and dominion over everyone else and we are just pawns in their global efforts to enrich themselves and hold power over everyone else. The Bush family has done this for years, going back to pre-WWII with Prescott Bush, W's grandfather. Our freedom is a facade, we are all in the economic chains of this world elite, with our children as cannon fodder as they play the power games. How dumb do you think the international community must think we are to a) elect this boob of a president twice!; and b) that despite all the evidence , we still have approx. 30% of our citizens who still support Bush and think that Iraq is related to 9/11. God help us!

Terry B., Hilliard, Oh (Sent Friday, August 24, 2007 11:04 AM)

I wonder who, outside the O'Relic fans, actually believe in the George Soros conspiracy theories. And I wonder why they think that a total lack of evidence for their theories is evidence.

Oh, my bad, they're CONSPIRACY THEORISTS.

Charles the Few, Seattle, Wash (Sent Friday, August 24, 2007 2:36 PM)

I love the way the neo-cons have now resorted to comparing the disaster in Iraq to WWII (and consequently, post war reconstruction). What happened to WMD? And 9-11? After all that turned out to be a pack of lives, now we're engaged in a struggle on the magnitude of WWII. What a disgrace to the memory of WWII vets who were involved in a truly epic survival-threatening struggle, and what disrespect and disgrace to our current service personnel. It's shameful on so many levels.

PH, Washington, D.C. (Sent Friday, August 24, 2007 3:05 PM)

They're trying to head off the only real challenge to the continued prosecution of Bush's war. As long as the Republicans in Congress hang tough, the war cannot be stopped; they can go to Bush and tell him, "Wind this war down or we will count votes and give the Dems just enough votes to cut off funding." All Bush needs is 33 Republicans in the Senate (plus Liebermann) and no veto can be overridden.

gjdodger, little rock, arkansas (Sent Saturday, August 25, 2007 1:45 AM)

I seem to remember an anti-war group trying to purchase commercial airtime and they were told to take a hike - something about the issue being too controversial. But hell, if you spending your money to buy airtime to show support for blowing up innocent women and children who have absolutely nothing to do with Saddam, 9/11, Al Quada, terrorism, or anything else other than the extreme bad luck of having been born and/or living near an oil field, then the mainstream media is more than happy to air your non-controversial message - cause they (the msm) support your message. I am surprised they even had to pay for the spots.

The spots do have one redeeming quality: they reek of desperation from the corporate war party. My guess is a greater percentage of US citizens are against the wars than will ever be reported. The shock & awe of 9/11 is wearing off - the people are waking up and seeing things for what they are: The dismantling of the US Constituion.

Jon, Laguna Beach, CA (Sent Monday, August 27, 2007 12:21 PM)

This elite group is unwittingly creating/preparing its own downfall.

Oswald Spengler wrote a three volume history book predicting the eclipse of Western Civilization.

The book has been translated into English and is entitled The Decline of the West. Interesting to note the book was written during the period of 1918-1922.

Many people in the West are unable to accept this situation and believe me, it does not bode well for the future.

Derek Brantford, Ontario, Canada (Sent Monday, August 27, 2007 10:28 PM)

this list reads like the corporatist supporters of Herr Hitler's Third Reich. Evil is as evil does. There support of the Bush Regime makes them complicit in war crimes. They should answer to charges the same as similar miscreants did at Nürenburg.

John Mendolusky Amherst, NH (Sent Tuesday, August 28, 2007 9:58 PM)

Goodness, doesn't anyone in the whitehouse who makes tons of money from Haliburton or KBR know Harry Truman's stance on "War Profiteering, and the industrial military complex? No? well it should be required reading.

F. Lewis. Porstmouth, N.H. (Sent Wednesday, August 29, 2007 12:11 PM)

Freedoms Watch's ads to stay the course are very dispicable ads. The $15 million dollars they are spending to spread the politics of fear on TV can be used to help the homeless, the poor, help students who want to go to college, help people who can't afford medicine or medical bills. These ads also exploit veteren's with their legs blown off and who are crippled sending messages I would go back to Iraq if I could and to stay the course. This is a minority group putting these ads out because an overwhelming majority support pulling out of Iraq. These people at Freedom Watch should be ashamed of them selves for exploiting disabled veterans to send their message rather the vetrans are for or against the war. These people at freedom watch should be in jail. There should be some scandal exposed about Freedom Watch. This ad would have never made the airwaves if Al Gore was the President. We are living in a parallel alternate universe and time like in the Twilight Zone. Al Gore should have realistily won. If Gore was our president we would not be at war right now.

Jeremy Montoya, Albuquerque, NM (Sent Monday, September 03, 2007 8:58 PM)

If Gore, Clinton, Obama(Hussein)or any of the other people in the race were our president we would be living under Muslim law. I have not read all of the posts as I do not have the time nor the desire. However, has it ever occured to anyone that both sides are saying the same things about the other side. When are Americans going to wake up and realize they are ALL lying to us? We have a president that says he is fighting terrorism but he lets them pour across our borders. We have democrats telling us they will bring our troops home yet my nephew, a proud marine, just went back to Iraq for his second tour. That doesn't sound like "bringing them home" to me. That sounds like "sending them back for more of the same". When are we going to bring our troops home from every stinking country that we are in and have been in since WW 1? When are we going to stop sending our engineers, equipment and most importantly our money to foreign countries who are laughing at us? How often do they send us aid when we have hurricanes or earthquakes or fires etc? Our country is bankrupt and we still send money to other countries. When are we going to start taking care of us?
Our politicians are dumbing us down to keep us under control.
I say bring all of our troops, allies as well, home and turn the desert into glass.

Scott (Sent Tuesday, September 11, 2007 5:24 PM)

Seig Heil Alan Wurtzel. Were you an understudy of Goebels? You learned well. To reject Freedoms Watch's ads supporting the troops based on a flimsy excuse that they mention their website in the ad is so weak. Could you not come up with a better excuse to foster your socialism. You proclaim a free press, but suppress any oposition to your views. Why would anyone want to watch PMSNBC?

Roger Cline, Forest, Indiana (Sent Saturday, December 08, 2007 9:56 AM)

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