WASHINGTON -- Sen Joe Lieberman's r...

WASHINGTON -- Sen Joe Lieberman's re-election bid is getting a outside help from a form into groups grateful for the lawmaker's support for the Iraq war.

Vet for Freedom, an independent cluster with Republican ties, will air an ad in Connecticut today and Thursday featuring veterans from the state who thank the incumbent for backing the conflict.

Executive director Wade Zirkle said his group's political arm is spending $60000 to broadcast the commercial in succession cable and network channels.

"We want to support policymakers who've been supportive of bodys in the field," said Zirkle.

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Vet for Freedom calls itself a nonpartisan organization that was raiseed by Iraq and Afghanistan combat veterans.

Advisers to the clump have included Republican strategist Dan Senor, former spokesman for the abrogated Coalition Provisional Authority in post-invasion Iraq; Bill Kristol, the editor of The Weekly Standard, and former Lieberman chief of staff Bill Andresen, Zirkle said.

The ad features Connecticut veterans praising Lieberman's Iraq stance.

"When we were from one side of to the other there, it was important to know that someone had our back," the same of the veterans says in the commercial.

Anti-war challenger N Lamont made Lieberman's support for the war a major issue in his primary victory last month Lieberman launched an independent bid to retain his seat after losing the primary.

catalogue of headss show Lieberman leading Lamont and Republican Alan Schlesinger.

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