McCain Lies About His "Support" for the New GI Bill

  The DAV recently sent a number of questions to both Senators McCain and Obama regarding their plans for the Veterans Administration, privatizing the VA, the treatment and classification of patients, creating predictable VA funding, and disability compensation. You can read the full text on the DAV website.

I have to admit I haven't gotten through both candidates' answers to all of the questions yet, but one thing jumped right out at me in Senator McCain's responses.

DAV Question:

What are your plans for improving the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), veterans programs and the lives of disabled veterans, and how would you ensure that these plans remain a top priority for your Administration?

In Senator McCain's response, he includes a section on Education and states:

● Education – Until recently, we were long overdue for an increase in veterans’ education benefits. The enactment of the “GI Bill for the 21st Century,” legislation which I proudly supported in its final form, dramatically increases education benefits for a broad spectrum of veterans, including members of our National Guard and Reserves. It also addresses the top concern of career servicemembers regarding education - the freedom to transfer their benefits to a spouse or their children. This important “transferability” feature, which I fought hard to see included in the legislation, will not only reward career Servicemembers and their families for extended service, but will also help retain the highquality young leaders who are essential to our allvolunteer force.

(Emphasis added.)

I'm afraid I'm going to have to call BS, Senator McCain.

I was shocked at the brazenness of the McCain campaign.  Aside from McCain's unfortunate tendency to make up words like "allvolunteer", "servicemembers", and my personal favorite "highquality," I was appalled by the revisionist history the above statement adopts regarding the new GI Bill.

Senator McCain was quite vocal in his opposition to the new GI Bill.  He now claims he opposed it because he wanted a provision allowing the transfer of benefits to the family members of service men and women.  But that's simply NOT what he said earlier this year.

From ABC News:

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, seemed to give a thumbs down to bipartisan legislation that would greatly expand educational benefits for members of the military returning from Iraq and Afghanistan under the GI Bill. McCain indicated he would offer some sort of alternative to the legislation to address concerns that expanding the GI Bill could lead more members of the military to get out of the service.

...

Officials in charge of Pentagon personnel worry that a more generous and expansive GI Bill would create an incentive for troops to get out of the military and go to college.

From CNN:

Saying he takes "a back seat to no one in my affection, respect and devotion to veterans," McCain said Webb's bill would be a disincentive for service members to become noncommissioned officers, which he called "the backbone of all the services." "In my life, I have learned more from noncommissioned officers I have known and served with than anyone else outside my family," McCain said at a Memorial Day event in Albuquerque. "They are very hard to replace. Encouraging people to choose to not become noncommissioned officers would hurt the military and our country very badly."

A former Navy officer, McCain was a prisoner of war during Vietnam. McCain, along with Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Richard Burr of North Carolina, has introduced an alternative bill that would increase education benefits on a sliding scale based on an individual's years of service. McCain argues his bill would have a smaller impact on retention rates than the legislation that the Senate passed.

Got that? 

McCain opposed the GI Bill because it would encourage soldiers to go to college.

"Encouraging people not to become noncommissioned officers" is code for "encouraging people to go to college." McCain even supported an alternative bill that he thought would have less of an impact on retention rates by giving fewer benefits for soldiers only serving a few years.  You know, like many of the soldiers who've served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

But let's give John McCain the benefit of the doubt for a moment and forget everything we just read about McCain's opposition to the new GI Bill.  If McCain truly supported the new GI Bill in its final form, then why didn't he vote for it? 

That's right.  McCain didn't show up to vote.  Clearly it was a top priority for him.

The fact is, the GI Bill is the military's most effective recruiting tool. But until recently, the GI Bill didn't provide nearly enough in funds to fund a college degree and living expenses for most veterans. Because the GI Bill didn't keep up with cost of living and tuition increases, it only provided veterans with under $10,000 for 4 years.  That's not enough to live on for 4 years, let alone pay for tuition.

The new GI Bill gives our veterans the educational benefits they deserve and the ability to improve their lives and the lives of their families.  John McCain did not support that, no matter how he tries to spin the past.

I haven't forgotten, Senator McCain.

Cross posted on Blue Star Families for Obama

Comments

[jaelithe]

The mendacity is stunning. I hope the mainstream press covers this little episode of revisionist history on McCain's part. I remember full well McCain's opposition to Jim Webb's G.I. Bill, and his reasons at the time. I was appalled to find out that a veteran from a military family wanted to deny education benefits to our troops.

At the time McCain was vocally opposing this bill, The Daily Show did a good segment on it, and I remember that they pointed out that a government study had shown any decrease in retention caused by the New G.I. Bill would be slight, and would be totally balanced out by the increase in recruitment it would cause.

[cynematic]

Good on you for pushing back on this, and showing that we don't all have short-term memory loss that'd make these lies more convenient.

[MP]

As a veteran myself I watched closely as McCain pulled this lousy stunt over this bill. I'm not surprised at all he's lying about it now. He's an absolute back stabbing sleaze. I don't know why Obama and the rest aren't just hammering away at him on this. He doesn't care about vets at all.

[MP]

As a veteran myself I watched closely as McCain pulled this lousy stunt over this bill. I'm not surprised at all he's lying about it now. He's an absolute back stabbing sleaze. I don't know why Obama and the rest aren't just hammering away at him on this. He doesn't care about vets at all.

[zunzun]

This is outrageous,considering that he is always parroting that he puts country first, he forgets that there would be no country without people, but his lack of
concern for all Americans is what makes him vote 18 times against the minimum wage. THis man is making saps of those who are voting for him, it's his blind ambition to be president, he's not to be trusted or entrusted with our country.