Congress, Fox News
Former Gen. Wesley Clark, a top Hillary Clinton adviser, critized Sen. John McCain yesterday for failing to enlist his support in the Senate for a bipartisan bill that would expand benefits to veterans, especially including troops who have served in Iraq:
An e-mail sent from Clark’s political action committee WesPAC, and co-signed by the former general, takes aim at the GOP senator, asking “Why Won’t McCain Support Our Vets?â€
The message urges individuals to sign a petition calling on McCain to back a veterans benefit bill co-sponsored by Democratic Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia and Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, and criticizes him for not yet pledging his support for the measure.
“So far, John McCain has refused. The same McCain who insists he supports our troops. The same McCain who is voting lockstep with the Bush administration (who has also resisted this bill),†reads the e-mail.
It adds that a young Iraq and Afghanistan vet “thinks John McCain ought to stand in his shoes to know how difficult it is to be a vet and have to pay staggering education costs. THIS is your call to arms. …â€
McCain has advocated deploying U.S. forces in Iraq for the next 100 years and longer.
Not to play Devil’s advocate, but I’m always suspicious of these “so-and-so refused to vote for such-and-such bill” stories. Often it’s a bill to say, give blankets to orphans but it has a rider allowing FBI agents to sell crack in hospitals. (This is possibly an exaggeration, but you get my point.) This should not be taken as any kind of support for McCain, who in my opinion is a total sell-out and only slightly less unworthy of the Presidential office than Bush, but rather a call for skepticism. You can guarantee you’ll see lots of stories exactly like this about either Obama or Clinton which should be looked at with the same eye.
Response to Kevin’s email. You want details? Here are just a few.
McCain voted AGAINST an amendent providing $20 billion to the VA’s medical facilities.
Voted AGAINST providing $430 million to the VA for outpatient care “and treatment for veterans,”one of only 13 senators to do so.
Voted AGAINST increasing VA funding by $1.5 billion by closing corporate loopholes.
Voted AGAINST increasing VA funding by $1.8 billion by ending “abusive tax loopholes.”
Voted AGAINST a $650 million in veterans medical care funding.