An Iraq war veteran who put a military face on the anti-war movement is lashing out at the group he once worked for, saying the anti-war lobby is more interested in bashing Republicans than ending the war.

“Our troops are still being killed on a daily basis, and the main agenda of these well-financed anti-war groups, I think, is nothing short of the prolonged character assassination of all those who disagree with their message,” John Bruhns wrote in a column published just before Thanksgiving in the Philadelphia Daily News, his hometown paper.

In an interview with The Hill after his departure Bruhns said he’d left on good terms and that AAEI is “playing a necessary role.” He did hint at his dissatisfaction, saying, “I can’t continue to attack members of Congress to pass legislation that isn’t going to get passed.”

He now says, “I was not honest when I walked away and … painted a rosy picture of my departure.”

AAEI officials declined to address Bruhns’s criticism directly. The group’s spokeswoman, Moira Mack, issued a statement saying: “John Bruhns is a dedicated anti-war activist with an important voice. We are grateful for his tireless work on the Iraq campaign — his efforts were an important part of the organizing that drove a dozen members of Congress to switch their votes to end the war or leave office and solidify support for a safe end to the war.

“Hundreds of veterans and military family members from communities across the country have worked side by side with AAEI to urge an end to the war.”

Bruhns volunteered for the Army infantry after the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, hoping to go to Afghanistan.

Instead, he found himself in the lead of the Army’s invasion of Iraq. He left the Army as a sergeant in 2005, moved to Northern Virginia and began lobbying against the war.

His blunt-spoken military bearing seemed to enhance his credibility on the war issue. In April, he won a MoveOn.org contest with an anti-war video he’d created and in May he went to work for AAEI.

Since leaving, Bruhns has continued to travel from his home in the Philadelphia suburbs to Washington to lobby, and has posted entries about Iraq on Huffington Post and elsewhere.

In his column, Bruhns stressed that he remains adamantly against the war, and says he admires the rank-and-file activists who work with AAEI. His problem, he said, is with the leaders, though he declined to name any names.

“We did raise a lot of awareness and did a lot of good,” Bruhns said. “But at the end of the day, we went after only Republicans.” He then added that his group had gone after Rep. Brian Baird (D-Wash.), who reversed himself and came out against withdrawal after an August trip to Iraq.

He said former allies have contacted him to complain that he’s hurting the anti-war movement, but he rejects the criticism.

“That’s their perception,” Bruhns said. “Anyone who says I’m hurting the anti-war movement, I would challenge them. I just say how I feel.”

The headline on the Daily News column was “The anti-war phonies.” Bruhns said he did not choose that headline. He’d titled it “Courage of My Convictions.” He also said that what he submitted was pared down in editing.

Bruhns wrote that both activists and elected officials worried too much about Democratic orthodoxy and not enough about figuring out what it would take to end the war.

“The groups I worked for wouldn’t spend one dime to promote legislation considered outside the mainstream of the Democratic Party,” he wrote.

But he also criticized Republican lawmakers, saying most “would follow George W. Bush to the gates of hell.”