McCain Supporters Get Free Trip to Objectively Assess Iraq?

Eight members of Veterans for Freedom, a political action committee, are currently in Iraq on a taxpayer-funded mission. The group has ties to John McCain's campaign and has produced ads critical of Barack Obama.

On the "Back to Iraq" trip, these veterans of the Iraq War are returning to the streets they patrolled, but this time with the goal of observing and reporting progress that has been made, along with work still left to be finished. With the help of the US military, they have been embedded with the troops.

Skeptics say that the group, which backs any candidate that "supports victory," should not have the American public finance the trip — they argue that the purpose of the mission is to selectively gather "facts" supportive of John McCain's position on the war. Does this sound to you like a campaign tactic or valuable citizen reporting?