Not all veterans salute McCain

Just because someone is a veteran, that does not necessarily make them a nice guy, a smart guy, a military expert or even a decent human. There are some veterans who were decorated and ended up homeless. There were some who were heroes in battle only to end up in jail for crimes committed after. Veterans come from all walks of life, all different experiences and enter into the military for all different reasons. What they do after combat should count as much as what they do during combat. While we do take into consideration someone's military record in court cases, they are not given a get out of jail free card. Even if they have PTSD, avoid prison, there are legal consequences they have to live up to from community service to getting therapy. Employers may give preferential treatment in hiring veterans but the veteran still has an obligation to do the job they were hired to do or they get fired. Loans may be a bit easier for veterans to obtain to start a business or purchase a house but they have to pay the loan back.

Why is it that McCain thinks he gets an automatic pass on running for president the same way he received one running for the senate? Too many in this country look at McCain and see the image of him as a POW. While that does put him into a unique category as a rarity, that should not absolve him of everything he has done since he came back. While he spent years in the senate, he was not a champion on veterans issues. As a matter of fact, he either voted against bills for veterans or fought against them. Senator Jim Webb's GI Bill is the latest one he fought against and then tried to pass it off as something he supported. Bush even attempted to congratulate him by tying him into the announcement of the signing of the bill when Bush and McCain did everything in their power to kill the funding.

We do not give all veterans a free ride on what they do after service and should not give one to McCain either. Considering because of veterans like McCain running away from what other veterans need, the rest of the veterans have been suffering for far too long under his "leadership" against them. KC

Not all veterans salute McCain
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By Dan Moffett
Palm Beach Post Editorial Writer
Sunday, August 03, 2008
The growing ranks of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan will have a lot to say about who becomes president. And what they are saying isn't what you might expect.

In theory, John McCain, with his long record of service as a Navy pilot and prisoner of war story from Vietnam, should have the market cornered on the military vote.

Instead, he has drawn opposition from many veterans because of his voting record in the Senate. Sen. McCain has voted against bills that would have improved veterans' benefits, particularly health care, or measures to ease the strain on active-duty troops and their families.

The disapproval among vets for Sen. McCain has fed surprising support for Barack Obama, who has voted for many of the veterans' initiatives in the Senate that his opponent rejected.

One of the last things the McCain campaign expected was to wind up in the cross hairs of angry veterans and having to fight off repeated attacks. But, then, that was also one of the last things the decorated veteran John Kerry expected in 2004.

The Internet has given rise to a new generation of veterans groups that line up from one end of the political spectrum to the other - Veterans for Peace at the left end and the Swift Boat Vets on the right.

Among the many misconceptions about running for president is that a military combat record makes a candidate more electable.

The Disabled Veterans of America gives him a 20 percent rating, compared with an 80 percent rating for Sen. Obama. The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans for America gives Sen. McCain a D and Sen. Obama a B+. The Vietnam Veterans of America say Sen. McCain has voted against them on 15 issues.

One of the most vocal and fastest-growing veterans groups to oppose the McCain campaign is VoteVets.org. Formed in 2006, the organization claims a membership of roughly 100,000, with a political action committee devoted to electing congressional candidates who oppose the handling of the Iraq war.

Especially galling to VoteVets.org is Sen. McCain's opposition to the new, bipartisan GI Bill that increases education benefits for Iraq and Afghanistan vets. Sen. Obama voted for the bill when it passed 75-22 in May; Sen. McCain was on the campaign trail and did not vote.

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