Las Vegas Vets Group’s Lukewarm Response to McCain
John McCain spoke to a disabled vets group in Las Vegas, and used his time there to continue to press his near-obsession with privatizing the VA and to attack Barack Obama, rather than address the real issues that face our veterans and active-duty soldiers. Attendees, as one would expect, responded coolly:
From The Las Vegas Sun:
Duke Hendershot, a double amputee retired Marine who served in Vietnam, supported McCain’s run for president in 2000 but is undecided this year.
“John just isn’t the same as he used to be. He’s not his own man,” said Hendershot, who lives in San Antonio, Texas. “A lot of that has to do with how he’s wanted this job so bad for so long that he’s tied himself to President Bush.”
He said McCain’s embrace of Bush, whom Hendershot called a “draft-dodging coward,” is even more perplexing because of the rivalry between the two candidates during the 2000 campaign.
Hendershot also criticized McCain for taking swipes at Obama in his speech. “He should have been talking about veterans issues, not his opponent,” he said.
By contrast, he praised Obama for keeping his remarks tightly focused on veterans. The Democrat gave taped remarks via video.
Click here to read the complete article.
It would appear that Senator McCain feels that his having served exempts him from having to articulate a real plan for our veterans. What do you think?
I attended the national D.A.V. here in Las Vegas and I was stunned that McCain would try to pull the same old, tired rhetoric that Bush and Cheney spewed during 2000 and 2004! What was McCain thinking? We didn’t want to hear pathetic, partisan attacks on Obama - what we wanted to hear was what McCain was going to do to get full funding of the V.A. and help all Disabled American Veterans!
No one helped disabled vets more than John Kerry and John McCain from about 1975 to 1985, but that was nearly a quarter century ago!
Of course everyone respects the military service of all veterans - but this is not the same McCain he once was a long, long time ago!
Tammy Duckworth was honored as our Disabled American Veteran of the Year and she’s a member of the D.A.V. - so, why isn’t McCain a member?
McCain was all for the V.A. when he needed healthcare, but he enjoys the best healthcare in the world today as a member of Congress - so, he doesn’t even show up to vote for the Webb G.I. Bill which would have re-instated many of the same benefits McCain enjoyed!
This is grosses form of hypocrisy I’ve ever seen from another veteran!
I’m volunteering to do what I can to see that Nevada’s 400,000 vets, nearly 50,000 that are disabled, vote for Obama!
John McCain’s self proclaimed support for GI’s is the biggest sham in this years presidential campaign. Not only has he supported sending our troops to fight in IRAQ under false pretenses, he has ardently supported extending the tours of many of the troops who are stationed there. Now he is taking credit for Veterans benefits that he was against. The one question that every GI, Officer or enlisted man, should ask themselves about McCain is this -Would you want this man to be your Military Commander in Chief given his advanced age and his lack of interest in providing benefits to all the troops?
I support obama and am a lifetime member of DAV and a Viet Nam veteran. Go to DAV.org and compare the voting records on health care for vets between McCain & Obama. Obama has a voting record that is pro-vet. McCain;s record is terrible. Check also the latest warning about McCain’s much touted heath care card in the DAV magazine. This may be the first step in dismantling the excellent VA heath care system.