Obama Gets Specific On Veterans’ Issues In New Interview
On Monday, Stars and Stripes published an interview with Senator Barack Obama addressing the many challenges facing the military and how he would go about fixing them were he to become president. Obama first touches on his opposition of the “surge” in Iraq and Iran as a nuclear threat, and then gets into real specifics on veterans’ issues: the GI Bill, stop-loss, the draining of the National Guard, recruitment and retention, and the many problems facing the VA and how we can fix them.
On the GI Bill and veterans’ benefits:
I feel very strongly that the strategy for maintaining the excellence of our all-volunteer forces can’t depend on stinginess once they get out. We should give the same kinds of benefits that my grandfather got after World War II, when he got the GI Bill and the GI Bill paid for college.
The GI Bill prior to this bill simply had not been keeping up with inflation. It had watered down these benefits. You can’t tell me that troops today are any less courageous or any less willing to sacrifice than those of an earlier generation.
Whatever effects this may have on retention, I believe, are more than made up for in enhancements in recruitment.
Click here to read the rest of the interview.
Since McCain has belittled Obama ‘celebrity’ status, why not critique McCains likeability…?An ad could read:”Mr. Bush was so likeable when he ran for office. For seven years he kept us laughing at his antics[ show him dancing and clowning]. Now he and the oil companies are the only ones laughing. Like his mentor,Mr. Bush, Mr.Cain has[in addition to being a war hero]brought us laughter[show part of his Saturday Night Live skit and show him laughing]. We love you,Mr.McCain, for the sacrifices you and other veterans made for us in all American wars; we love you for keeping us laughing; we love you for your jokes. But after we finish laughing, we still don’t have affordable healthcare; we still can’t afford the price of gas; a gallon of milk for our babies still cost an hours wage; our best paying jobs are still being shipped to other countries. Yes, laughter is good, but with all due respect ,Mr.McCain, America can not afford to be the butt of another joke. We are facing serious times. We need a serious president [show McCain laughing and jesting again]……………….We need Obama