Before he went on the full-frontal assault against Barack Obama, John McCain loved to talk about his time as a POW and his record on veterans issues. While McCain may have suffered tremendously for his country in Vietnam, what he says and what he does for our troops and those that have served are two different things entirely. Veterans rights advocates know the truth about John McCain and they aren't afraid to speak up on the issue.
From Crooks and Liars:
Paul Rieckhoff of IAVA sits down with Rachel Maddow to discuss his group's 2008 report card on how members of Congress voted on Veterans issues. John McCain: D. Barack Obama: B.
RIECKHOFF: There were 53 original co-sponsors on both sides of the aisle [for the new GI Bill]. Eventually, right-wing folks like Senator Warner got involved with folks on the left like Senator Webb. Every major veteran services organization in the country supported it, more ¾ of the House. So, this was kind of a legislative locomotive. And one of the only blocks along the way consistently was Senator McCain.
So, it's not a partisan issue here. The G.I. bill had tremendous support. And he was just really behind this legislative issue. Now, he's made attempts to go back and say he was holding out for transferability. Transferability, being able to transfer your G.I. bill benefits to your family members. It was already in the law. It was at the discretion of the Department of Defense.
So, it's kind of a red herring there. But the reports are out there now. Everybody can check the vote. Go to VeteranReportCard.org, you can check their votes and everybody else who's up for reelection this year.
Right on Paul, if you have any doubts about who's record is better than another, just look up the votes yourself. I can tell you that Barack Obama scores better on veterans issues until I'm blue in the face. Yet until you see it up close and personal, only then does one truly see the myth of the "maverick" and the truth of an aging soldier that does not do what it take to keep our veterans fully taken care of.
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