Vets for Freedom is a swiftboating group now attacking Barack Obama with a nasty smear ad suggesting that he would put America's enemies first. Apparently, John McCain approves -- he calls the group a "wonderful organization."

In addition four of his campaign officials are connected with the group: Senators Lindsay Graham and Joe Lieberman, both campaign co-chairman, also both sit on the Vets for Freedom board of advisors. The group's executive director, Pete Hegseth, is on McCain's Virginia steering committee along with the group's treasurer, Wade Zirkle. (Update: Hegseth says the McCain campaign's announcement of his role on the steering committee was in error, though the McCain website has not been updated since the announcement in January. In addition, Max Boot, McCain's foreign policy adviser, also sits on the Vets for Freedom advisory board.)

All four men are in violation of McCain's recently announced conflict of interest policy, which states: "No person with a McCain Campaign title or position may participate in a 527 or other independent entity that makes public communications that support or oppose any presidential candidate."

Earlier this month, the campaign asked GOP consultant Craig Shirley to leave the campaign because of the same sort of conflict. If McCain also asks these four men to leave the campaign, the challenge for him will be to explain he lavishly praised as a "wonderful organization" as recently as April 8.

McCain's praise for Vets for Freedom came at a rally staged for the media. At the rally, McCain was introduced by David Bellavia, a Vets for Freedom co-founder and candidate for Congress in New York's 26th district. In his introduction, Bellavia likened Barack Obama to Tiger Words, bringing a big smile to McCain's face.

Take action:

• Call John McCain at (703) 418-2008 and ask him tell his swiftboating pals to stop their smears

For more background:

• Lieberman, Graham Violating McCain Campaign's Ethics Rules? (Pitney and Stein, HuffPo)
• Busted: McCain Message Coordination w/Anti-Obama VFF (Steven R, Daily Kos)
• Joe & Lindsey Violate McCain's "Ethics" "Rule" (TeddySanFran, Firedoglake)
• McCain advisers on independent group attacking Obama (Mark Silva, The Swamp)

Note: All the video of McCain, Lieberman, and Graham was made possible by the Democratic Party's  Flipper TV project which collects and makes available raw video of McCain available for YouTubes like this.