Webb GI Bill Passes Senate, McCain Skips Vote

*** UPDATE BELOW ***

The Associated Press reports that the Webb GI Bill has passed the Senate:

Senate Republicans have broken with President Bush to help Democrats add support for veterans and the unemployed to a bill paying for another year of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

The 75-22 vote also added billions of dollars in other domestic funds such as heating subsidies for the poor and money for fighting wildfires to the $165 billion for the military operations overseas.

...The huge tally in the Senate was driven by $15.6 billion over two years to extend unemployment benefits by 13 weeks and more than $50 billion over the upcoming decade to provide returning Iraq war veterans with sharply increased college aid.

Both Sens. Obama and Clinton voted in favor of the bill. Sen. McCain skipped the vote (as did Sens. Tom Coburn and Ted Kennedy).

Howard Dean released a statement criticizing McCain for skipping the vote:

"America's veterans and military families deserve better than a candidate who is willing to keep our troops in Iraq for 100 years, but refuses to take care of them when they come home. The men and women in who volunteer to put on the uniform of the United States of America risk their lives to defend our freedoms, and we should do everything we can to help them be successful when they come home. While Senator McCain talks about supporting our troops and veterans on the campaign trail, his real record tells a much different story. While we honor his service to our country, Senator McCain's double talk on veterans' benefits is one more reason he is the wrong choice for America's future."

Obama also responded to McCain's absence:

I respect sen. John McCain's service to our country. He is one of those heroes of which I speak. But I can't understand why he would line up behind the President in his opposition to this GI bill.

I can't believe why he believes it is too generous to our veterans. I could not disagree with him and the President more on this issue. There are many issues that lend themselves to partisan posturing but giving our veterans the chance to go to college should not be one of them.

And McCain hammered back in a particularly harsh response:

"Perhaps, if Senator Obama would take the time and trouble to understand this issue he would learn to debate an honest disagreement respectfully. But, as he always does, he prefers impugning the motives of his opponent, and exploiting a thoughtful difference of opinion to advance his own ambitions. If that is how he would behave as President, the country would regret his election."...

"It is typical, but no less offensive that Senator Obama uses the Senate floor to take cheap shots at an opponent and easy advantage of an issue he has less than zero understanding of. Let me say first in response to Senator Obama, running for President is different than serving as President. The office comes with responsibilities so serious that the occupant can't always take the politically easy route without hurting the country he is sworn to defend. Unlike Senator Obama, my admiration, respect and deep gratitude for America's veterans is something more than a convenient campaign pledge. I think I have earned the right to make that claim."

UPDATE: Obama has responded to McCain, calling him out for making 'schoolyard taunts':

I am proud to stand with Senator Webb and a bipartisan coalition to give our veterans the support and opportunity they deserve. It's disappointing that Senator McCain and his campaign used this issue to launch yet another lengthy personal, political attack instead of debating an honest policy difference. He should know that this is not about John McCain or Barack Obama - it's about giving our veterans a real chance to afford four years of college without harming retention. Senator Webb's bipartisan bill will do this, and the bill that John McCain supports would not. These endless diatribes and schoolyard taunts from the McCain campaign do nothing to advance the debate about what matters to the American people.

Comments

[VOTER]

MCCAIN HAS JUST LOST THE RESPECT AND VOTES OF VETERANS!

AirForceVet/Vietnam

[OrionGal]

He's also lost the respect of those Veteran's wives and husbands, and their children, and their grandparents, and their inlaws, and their aunts and uncles and cousins,

and the Teachers


Yes Obama / Webb!

[biglover]

Well, not all of them. He hasn't lost the died in the wool idiot republican vets. I saw him at a meeting before some Vets Org and they were all falling all over themselves to speak with him and shake his hand. Apparently they are all shell shocked or something. Talk about voting against your own self-interests = just like the yahoos in WVA, Ohio, PA, Kentucky and Tennessee

[IraqiFreedomVeteran03]

Sen. Webb will do more for veterans than any other elected official has in the past 20 years. I really like him. He would make a perfect balance with Sen. Obama. Now that's a dream ticket.

[Rocky4356]

Lousy Pilot elected President. Only in the Movies. Now Playing in Washington. Lets try to Find another POW.

I was a grunt in Nam. Wished I could have went back to a carrier after every mission.

[JJeff88]

If you go back and examine McCain's record over the years, it's dotted with occasions when he has deserted an original position and thrown its original supporters under the bus in order to gain some marginal political edge.

His problem as a candidate is that, to win the general election, he will need support of the GOP right wing base; but to do so means he must tack away from the more moderate positions that helped define him earlier in his career. In doing so, he is losing his core values.

His decision to skip the vote on the new GI Bill should, therefore, come as no surprise.

[mouselion]

Trolls-- Note the difference:

Obama chides McCain, but makes a statement as to why it is important to support the bill.
McCain's entire statement is an attack of Obama, never explaining why he doesn't support the bill, or why Obama does not understand.

[OrionGal]

McCain's was a seriously Vicious Attack with no substance - and McCain loses that debate question!

[VOTER]

I bet one of McCain's minions wrote his response.

McCain was probably napping.

[Bobrobert]

McDoodoo earned nothing more than respect that HE has proved he does not deserve.

McDoodoo knows he cannot keep no loss going into the for four more years.

McDoodoo knows the only way to keep the men in the military is to refuse to allow them an education.

McDoodoo lost my respect by proving he has no concern for our military - he seems to think that they should suffer as much if not more than he did.

McDoodoo is no longer a hero in my eyes - he is only a bitter old man that has lost his ability to think clearly when it comes to fighting another "Vietnam".

McDoodoo lost Vietnam - McDoodoo has lost Iraq.

Pathetic at best.

Be sure to vote folks.

[Testtubebaby]

Friends...­how many of us have them?

[CeciliaBertrand]

McCain is indeed an 'old' politician, "all blow and no go". Old Politicians spend hours saying NOTHING! I recall a comment from Melissa Ethridge who at the time was a part of a gay/lesbian group interviewing Hillary Clinton- they asked her a question and she took a while to answer it (as usual) and Melissa turned around and said, "I didn't understand a word you said". Bill Clinton while president LOVED to spend literally HOURS on his Presidential speeches..­Oh, jeez it was torture. I could never stay the course, he was so boring and NEVER said anything. They are mostly old bags of wind, stinky and all.

[LORISNJ]

For the first time in my adult life I am truly proud of America!!! Not really but damn if I am very, very proud of Jim Webb. They don't make them better than him.

[marymansour]

Oh what a soldier. Skipped the vote, eh? Please don't vote for this man. For him to have been a prisoner in Viet Nam for five years, and a soldier for many more, he certainly knows what the GI bill did for so many veterans. This is absolutely unthinkable that he should deny a former veteran this privilege.

[ishy]

And people really want to elect McShame? It's grossly astonishing that with his highly touted war record, he would not vote for the amended GI bill nor does he wear that much debated flag pin.
Our veterans, servicemen, and everyone else - Pass this on - the old guy cannot be allowed to win in November.

[Norsky]

I read the McCain response a couple of times and I just don't understand what he is saying. Could someone please explain it to me.

[JLee]

That response tells me he's very, very afraid of Obama.

It also tells me McCain is panicked about being one-upped on one of the few issues he has any perceived credibility on. But he also couldn't join the bill because it was started by Democrats and the right-wing base already perceives him as too liberal. This basic tension with the Republican base is behind much of the schizophrenic tightrope-walking McCain's campaign has become.

[Bobrobert]

The GI bill will allow all the military men and woman to go to college and get degrees.

At the present time college is so expensive most of the men and woman cannot affort to leave the military - they have minimal job skills.

If most of the men and woman leave the military - stop loss will not work - there is a limit on stop loss.

With the loss of additional military people... there is a little used plan that the government will be forced to use - the DRAFT.

When the DRAFT is initiated they have a little process to pick everyones children - they use birthdays and number them from 1 to 365.

Since they will need to replace just about the entire force because of stop loss and the folks going to college - you can bet just about everyone will be getting draft notices.

Moms and dads will get very upset - and the kids will get very upset - and life will return to the 60's.

That is abbreviated idea of what he said by talking in circles without telling anyone anything.

[bwither]

Anyone else notice how McCain- in that little temper tantrum he threw- failed to mention why he wouldn't support the bill?

Obama/ Strickland '08
Obama/ Webb '08

Obama/ a broomstick with a dress-shirt and tie '08

Any of these could beat McCain handily.

[ReaderTeacherCitizen]

Yes. I did indeed notice that he never mentions why he didn't vote on the bill, one way or the other, let alone why he wouldn't support it. Interesting that Obama and Clinton, who are still engaged in the primary battle, found time to vote and he couldn't.

The best news of all is that the vote is veto-proof.

[LittleSanityLeft]

"The office comes with responsibilities so serious that the occupant can't always take the politically easy route without hurting the country he is sworn to defend. Unlike Senator Obama, my admiration, respect and deep gratitude for America's veterans is something more than a convenient campaign pledge. I think I have earned the right to make that claim."

Then answer the question MCCain! Where's the substantive rebuttal. His answer says nothing about his reasons for not signing onto the bill just a "don't you question me! Do you know who I am and what I've sacrificed?" response meant to shut Obama up on the issue. Which obviously won't work.

[OrionGal]

Exactly - McCain could have at least offered his own rebuttal as to why he wasn't even present to vote for this? Oh, McCAIN is too busy because he is going on a MEMORIAL DAY holiday! Or is McCain covering up his Medical Records are being released tomorrow.

Today - Oregon's flags are at half staff because of yet another -
Army Corporal Jessica Ann Ellis, 24 of Baker City

[Mitchell4A]

Bravo for Webb!! He is probably going to be Obama's VP chioce . http://msa4.wordpress.com/

And, wow, McCain skipped the vote. As every day passes I feel better about a short list of reasons why McCain won't win, which I wrote up to help get through the next few weeks.

#7 The Not So Straight-talk Factor: McCain has built his reputation on being a man of principle. This has two features: he believes in something and he sticks with what he believes in. McCain has recently begun to backpedal on principles and commitments. He is vulnerable to being viewed as a flip-flopper, if not dishonest, which will undermine his hitherto greatest strength.

9. The Skeleton Factor: The Keating Five and lobbyists, need I say more.
http://msa4.wordpress.com/