Barack Obama and others have been demagoguing the opposition of Sen. John McCain and the White House on the veterans' college scholarship bill for the past several days.
Either Sen. Obama is purposely distorting their positions or is greatly misinformed. Obama said in Puerto Rico on Saturday, "Now, let me be clear: No one can dispute John McCain's love for this country or his concern for veterans. But here's what I don't understand. I don't understand why John McCain would side with George Bush and oppose our plan to make college more affordable for our veterans."
The truth of the matter is the Arizona senator opposes the scholarship measure, as does the Pentagon, because it applies to people who serve just three years. McCain fears that would encourage people to leave the military after only one enlistment even as the U.S. fights two wars and is trying to increase the size of the Army and Marine Corps.
Instead, McCain and Republican colleagues proposed a bill to increase benefits in conjunction with a veteran's length of service. Senate Democrats blocked that measure.
While I am not a big fan of Sen. McCain, but it is dishonest for anyone to accuse McCain of being anti-veteran due to his opposition of this bill. I thoroughly agree with this position.
McCain said it best with a sharp statement saying that he wouldn't listen to any lectures on veterans' affairs from Obama, "who did not feel it was his responsibility to serve our country in uniform."
Buy The Amazon Kindle Store Ebook Edition
Get the ebook edition here! (Click image.)
10 comments:
You're being disingenous with the title of your article. The truth is the new GI Bill was bi-partisan being sponsored by Chuck Hagel (R) & Jim Webb (D) and was supported by 25 republicans.
Only 22 senators opposed it, all republican but John McCain didn't even bothered to show up & vote. If he truly supported veterans and felt that this bill was lacking then he should debated that fact on the floor of the Senate instead of going to a fundraiser. Also, the original WW2 GI BILL only required 90 days length of service & an honorable discharge. The benefits to the US has been immeasurable. Included were a highly educated middle class that provided huge tax revenues for the country.
http://usinfo.state.gov/products/pubs/historians/chapter07.htm
Devisive titles like "democrat demagoguery" won't work anymore. The truth is the republicans should be proud of their accomplishment on this bill and could probably win votes on the back of it instead of giving democrats all the credit as your article suggests.
See ya at G-Fest! :)
McCain supports another bill that also has a benefits transferral to dependents. This bill is not good for long-range reenlistments. The bill McCain supports increases benefits as people reenlist. This is bi-partisan in name only. Both Hagel and Webb are liberals.
Then you're saying anyone that voted to support the GI Bill & Chuck Hagel is a liberal? Here's a list of "liberals" that voted for this AND that you should list in your blog as such from now on:
Bond (R-MO)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Coleman (R-MN)
Collins (R-ME)
Craig (R-ID)
Crapo (R-ID)
Dole (R-NC) BOB DOLE's WIFE
Domenici (R-NM)
Hagel (R-NE)
Hutchison (R-TX)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Isakson (R-GA)
Martinez (R-FL)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Roberts (R-KS)
Shelby (R-AL)
Smith (R-OR)
Snowe (R-ME)
Specter (R-PA)
Stevens (R-AK)
Sununu (R-NH)
Thune (R-SD)
Vitter (R-LA)
Warner (R-VA)
Wicker (R-MS)
If these guys are liberal then you're kinda alone in the world. And since EVERY veterans' group endorsed this bill that would make veterans (GASP!) liberals.
Also Jim Webb was secretary of the Navy under Reagan, hardly a liberal.
And again if McCain had a better idea he should have debated that point to his fellow senators. Why didn't he?
Most of the republicans listed are moderates. They would not be considered to be Reagan conservatives. Webb was rebuked by Nancy Reagan for using her husband in his campaign ads. If he was such a stauch conservative, he would not have joined the Democrat Party.
Hagel is, in my opinion, a raving idiot.
Ha-ha! You are persistant I'll give you that but the point is the new GI Bill has passed with overwhelming BI-PARTISAN support in the Senate so this is a victory for veterans which is what the whole point is. If Bush vetoes this (because of a lack of veto-proof majority in the House) then he will have to explain why he doesn't support the troops. Those are the facts.
If you want to opine on who is a conservative & who isn't that's beside the point of helping our veterans (friends of mine from the Vietnam era & currently serving in IRAQ).
Sorry, Max, but that dawg won't hunt! The Pentagon also opposes the Hagel-Webb bill for the same reasons McCain does. Plus, it is dubious that veterans would be mad at McCain for his opposition. They aren't stupid. Once presented with the facts, they would also prefer the bill McCain supports.
See ya at G-FEST.
Prove it with facts Armand. Veterans groups that support the new GI Bill are:
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA)
the Veterans of Foreign Wars
Disabled American Veterans
Paralyzed American Veterans
Student Veterans of America
and AMVETS.
You're right, they aren't stupid.
What veterans' groups oppose it?
Re-read my last post again. I didn't say veteran groups opposed it. I said the Pentagon opposes it.
"Once presented with the facts, they (veterans) would also prefer the bill McCain supports." That's what you said and you're wrong.
Veterans' groups support the bill that passed. So once we come full circle. You're dissapointed that a BI-PARTISAN bill that supports a GI PLAN for VETERANS passed by BOTH parties & you want to blame democrats instead of congratulating them & your side. You feel McCain is justified by not showing up to debate a plan that he & you think is better. So when confronted by and asked for facts, you cannot support your position and McCain cut & ran away from the debate when it came time for him. It's misleading. Cheers!
Actually, it is not a bill, it is an amendment. The GI Amendment in its current form can only be passed or become law along with another piece of legislation, one that would dump two-thirds of a trillion dollars (plus interest payments to China) into occupying Iraq for another year, thereby creating tens of thousands of severely injured veterans, and thereby swamping the new educational program with many more veterans than it will be funded to handle.
On Memorial Day, during the hoopla over this amendment, I saw reporters talking to veterans about the bill and while many disagreed with McCain, others supported him. I attended a Memorial Day observance at the L.A. National Cemetery and there were mixed views there.
The Democrats defeated McCain's changes to the bill and are making this debate into a "pro-veteran or anti-veteran" debate. That's where the demagoguery lies.
This is not a debating board and you are not a prosecutor and I am not your defendant. I am stating my opinions on this. You can disagree if you want, but I am not changing my opinion.
Post a Comment