Before anyone has a conniption fit, I am not talking about John McCain's service in the military. I'm talking about his service in the United States Senate and his pitiful record on veterans' issues like his votes against the 'Additional Funding for Veterans Amendment' and the 'Health Care for Veterans Amendment' and the 'Tax Rate Extension Amendment'. The truth is that despite what he did 40 years ago, yesterday he reinforced his record of voting against veterans' issues, refusing to support the Webb Amendment, aka the new GI Bill. And not only did he openly oppose the legislation that was passed overwhelmingly by both Democrats and Republicans in the Senate, he didn't even show up to vote on it.
Not only did Sen. McCain not show up for the vote, he used the occasion of the GI Bill vote to attack Senator Obama, who both voted for the Webb Amendment and advocated for its passage on the floor of the Senate. The bill, supported by veterans from both sides of the aisle, including Senators Webb, Warner, Hagel, Akaka, Bingaman, Carper, Craig, Dodd, Harkin, Inhofe, Inouye, Isakson, Johnson, Kohl, Lautenberg, Nelson, Reed, Roberts, Specter, Stevens, Wicker and Kerry, proposes that we give our veterans similar opportunities that were provided by the original GI bill of 1944. You give, your country gives back. Pretty simple.
Senator McCain, apparently, has some problem with that.
Video Credit: bravenewfilms
The contrast between Senator McCain's history of military service and his lack of support for our troops is nothing less than stunning, and his inability to break from the failed policies and positions of George Bush is deplorable. Either you support our veterans or you don't. For someone who is one of them, it's truly sad that McCain is allowing politics to taint that bond.
Maybe he'll improve his pathetic record by getting behind the Kerry-Obama HEART Act. If his voting record is any indication, I wouldn't count on it.
