McCain Tries To Steal Credit for New G.I. Bill
In a speech before the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), John McCain tried to take credit for Senator Jim Webb’s 21st Century GI Bill, claiming that he fought for “a better bill” while the Webb GI Bill, that was passed by the Senate by a margin of 75-22, was “flawed legislation.” This distortion of the truth comes as one more example of the Republican candidate presenting himself as a friend to veterans when his legislative record indicates otherwise.
As a political proposition, it would have much easier for me to have just signed on to what I considered flawed legislation. But the people of Arizona, and of all America, expect more from their representatives than that, and instead I sought a better bill. I’m proud to say that the result is a law that better serves our military, better serves military families, and better serves the interests of our country.
McCain calling the Webb-Hagel bill “flawed legislation” is particularly galling because that’s the bill that eventually passed, not McCain’s own. Then McCain immediately takes credit for the benefits derived from the version he opposed.
The bi-partisan Webb-Hagel bill received widespread support in the Senate and from veterans’ organizations, but fierce opposition from McCain and President Bush. A comprehensive overhaul of the original, the new GI Bill extends up to 36 months of educational benefits, the equivalent of four academic years, to service members who served in Iraq or Afghanistan, covering expenses for tuition, books, and other fees. Veterans can also receive a $1000-a-month living stipend and have a longer window of time - 15 years - during which to use their educational benefits.
The Webb-Hagel GI Bill was endorsed by the VFW, Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA), the Air Force Sergeants Association (AFSA), the Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States (EANGUS), Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), and the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC).
Instead of supporting this important extension of benefits to our brave soldiers involved in our current wars, McCain chose to draft his own proposal with Senator Lindsey Graham. Their version would have increased education benefits for only active duty servicemembers from $1100 per month to $1500, and to $2000 for members who served on active duty more than 12 years. But this proposal unfortunately left a lot of servicemen and women out in the cold.
The VFW also took a dim view of McCain’s proposal. According to Eric Hilleman, the VFW’s Deputy Director for Legislative Affairs, called the Graham-Burr-McCain draft “very partisan and is seen as a way to convolute the GI bill, or to slow the Webb-Hagel proposal down.”
For his part, Senator Obama has been a steadfast supporter of Webb’s bill, saying in May, “At a time when the skyrocketing cost of tuition is pricing thousands of Americans out of a college education, we should be doing everything we can to give the men and women who have risked their lives for this country the chance to pursue the American Dream.”
Fortunately for our brave brothers and sisters in the military, McCain’s draft failed to garner support and the Webb-Hagel GI Bill was passed into law on June 30, a vote that McCain was absent for. He was at a fundraiser in California.
McCain can’t claim credit for a bill he opposed and we can’t let this distortion of the truth pass unchallenged. We have to hold our candidates to their record. Obama voted for the Webb GI Bill. McCain didn’t even show up.
I know friends and defenders of Freedom…. John McCain is no friend…
JJ
McSame only cares about the “HAVE MORES” just like Bush/Cheney. Obama/Biden will take care of the Vets and their families along with the larger middle class.
I’m involved in a great project to produce a video that is geared towards getting the public out to vote this year. It’s completely non-partisan, we aren’t trying to endorse a particular canidate.
Here’s a link : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4kg514DcTA