(blogger's note: Being from a family with a military background, Veterans issues are near and dear to my heart. My father, a WWII and Korea Vet, is going through his second tour of duty with prostate cancer. He is 83 this month. He relies on the VA for his care.)
Anyway, the IAVA (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America) rates our representatives on their support of Veterans' issues. "A non-partisan non-profit founded in 2004 with tens of thousands of members in all 50 US states, IAVA is America’s first and largest Iraq and Afghanistan veterans' group." (wiki bio) McCain likes to play himself off as a champion of Veterans. Not so, says Paul Rieckhoff, founder and executive director of IAVA.
The most stand-out line from the interview:
"Being a Veteran alone does not make you strong on Veterans issues."
McCain's report card:
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ)
4th term Republican from Arizona. First elected in 1986.
Our Comments
(3 out of 9 votes with IAVA Action, not a Post-9/11 GI Bill cosponsor)
| A New GI Bill (2nd vote) | 06/26/2008 | Not Voting |  | ||
| A New GI Bill (3rd vote) | 06/26/2008 | Not Voting | | ||
| A New GI Bill (1st vote) | 05/22/2008 | Not Voting | | ||
| Stopping a Second Rate GI Bill | 05/14/2008 | Not Voting | | ||
| Enhanced Veterans' Benefits | 04/24/2008 | Not Voting | | ||
| Expanded Veterans' Benefits | 10/01/2007 | Not Voting | | ||
| Veterans' Health Care, 2008 | 09/06/2007 | Yea |  | ||
| Funding for MRAPS | 03/29/2007 | Yea | | ||
| Veterans' Health Care, 2007 | 02/14/2007 | Yea | |
(blogger's note: as you can see, McCain has not voted on a single key Veterans issue in over ONE year.)
A new ad from VoteVets.org that ran during this show pointed out that instead of attending session to vote on the historic update to the GI Bill, McCain opted to go to a campaign fundraiser.
In the spirit of brevity, on to the video...
On a final note:
Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL)
1st term Democrat from Illinois. First elected in 2004.
Our Comments
B
(5 out of 9 votes with IAVA Action, plus 2 points for Post-9/11 GI Bill cosponsorship)
and
Sen. Joseph Biden Jr. (D-DE)
6th term Democrat from Delaware. First elected in 1972.
Our Comments
B
(6 out of 9 votes with IAVA Action, plus 2 points for Post-9/11 GI Bill cosponsorship)
Oh and what branch of service were you in? And when were you a prisoner of War for almost 6 years.
ReplyDeleteI was not in the military.
ReplyDeleteHere are my military connections, however:
Grandfather: Army, World War I
Father: Marines, World War II, Korean Conflict
Two brothers: Army, Marines, Viet Nam
Cousin: Marines, Viet Nam, Killed in Da Nang
Nephews: Army, Somalia, Iraq, Kuwait
I am a member of and very active in my local American Legion family. I visit Veterans and Auxiliary members. I cook for and help organize dinners held at the Post. I am an active participant in local fundraising. I drive Veterans to doctors appointments.
What do you do that is patriotic other than attend parades and grab candy from the sidelines?
No, McCain has no fondness for veterans. He has a different attitude about the Viet Nam "War" than most Viet Nam Vets. He was isolated for five years and didn't get the exposure other vets got. He came out of it with an obsolete attitude.
ReplyDeleteAlso, he truely thinks he is superior to all those grunts and groundpounders. He is, after all, an Admiral's son's son.
My father was a Navy Corpsman in Vietnam a recipient 2 purple hearts and he is voting for John McCain - unlike you who is content to rest on the laurels of your forefathers, I actualy walked the walk and can actually talk the talk at the American Legion post where I am ACTUALLY a member not the kid of a vet - I served honorably in the United States Marine Corps and I not only support John McCain an American Hero unlike Mr. Drug snortin Obama who has never done anything but vote "present"
ReplyDeleteI am not content to "rest" on the laurels of my forefathers. There is no "resting" about it.
ReplyDeleteI have done what I can in my own way to honor those that have served this great country, including my family, including you, apparently. I am a fiercely patriotic American.
What pisses me off is the fact that because this man was a POW, people automatically think he should be president--as if he deserves it, for no other reason.
While Sen. McCain boasts around the country and during debates how he will take care of the American Veteran, his record of at least the last year and a half does not reflect that.
That is what is at issue here--you, therefore, of all people, should be interested in this.
That is the issue--not who is more patriotic than who...my bad for instigating that.
And as an after thought...I am proud to be "the kid of a vet," as you so unceremoniously put it.
ReplyDeleteBeing the kid of a Vet--there is something to be said for that, and I don't like your implication that it is something that is not up to standard. I am ACTUALLY a card-carrying member, too, and so are my little kids.
If you are indeed, as you say, a member in good standing of the American Legion, you know damn well the organization doesn't run without support of everyone--Legion, Auxiliary and SAL. A true Legionnaire would never, never discount the importance of being "the kid of a Vet."
And just how does Obama know anything about the workings of the military????
ReplyDeleteSince when did having a military background become a requirement to be president? It is no where mentioned in the Constitution...last time I checked anyway.
ReplyDeleteBill Clinton was not in the military. We had military engagements while he was in office. I don't remember the country falling apart during that time. In fact, when he left office, we enjoyed the largest surplus in history.
Perhaps having an extensive military background, such as McCain's (his grandfather and father were both Admirals in the Navy), should disqualify you from being president--as the military and war are the only things by which you can gauge your actions.
Just a thought.
Anon, If you are voting for McCain because he was a POW, you are no smarter than the ones who voted for Bush because he was anti-gay marriage, or the ones who voted for Bush because he was a reborn Christian, or thae ones who voted for Bush because he had a charming accent.
ReplyDeleteBeing a POW proved nothing and did nothing to prepare McCain for office of President. On the contrary the man has an almost disabling case of PTSD and needs a few years of anger management before he should be allowed anywhere near nuclear weapons launch codes.
This country, in case you didn't notice, is in deep kimschi and we need the best qualified person to lead us out of it. This is not about vets hanging out at the white house for a few beers, we need a remarkable leader.