The love affair should be officially over after John Sidney McCain's attack on vets

By GottaLaff

Suddenly we all seem to be on first dates with the very public officials with whom we've had dysfunctional relationships for years. Scottie McClellan is puzzling everyone with his new book, and now it seems we're just getting to know the vaunted veteran who refuses to support other equally vaunted veterans.

Edward Humes* goes after John Sidney McShunsVets in a big way. He should get together with Cliff Schecter, they'd have a field day:

The media and pundits seem perplexed, collectively suggesting: That's not the John McCain we know.

Which is true: It is the John McCain they don't know. If the media weren't so mesmerized by the McCain image they have long promoted and instead got to know the McCain record, they would realize that there is nothing surprising or inconsistent about his position on the GI Bill. [...] The only surprise is that anyone finds this surprising.

What? After slapping us around all these years, we're just discovering your record of abuse? We demand a visit to a couples counselor.

This time, though, McCain is swimming against the tide of history. The original GI Bill -- signed into law in 1944 -- was one of the most important laws every adopted by Congress. It transformed the nation after World War II in epic fashion, with generous college benefits, stipends, subsidized mortgages, business loans and job training and placement.

Veterans got free rides to any college that would accept them. Tuition, books, housing and living expenses were all covered, giving rise to a new generation of scientists, inventors, teachers, doctors, civic leaders and artists. Low-interest, no-money-down home loans backed by the government made it cheaper to buy than to rent. Suburbia, widespread homeownership, college as a majority aspiration, the middle class -- all were built on the back of the GI Bill.

Mmmm, looking at our scrapbook, the one we made together, remember Sidney? Sweet memories of... a middle class. Gee, we'd nearly forgotten about them.

It reinvented the American dream. Bob Dole and George McGovern went to school on the GI Bill. So did Clint Eastwood and Paul Newman. So did 14 Nobel Prize winners. So did 7 million other World War II veterans. [...] The World War II-era living stipend is gone; in its place, members of the military must agree to a $100 monthly payroll deduction to receive the college aid. An education benefit that sent WWII vets to Yale now won't cover four years at the average public university, though many recruits don't understand this when they sign up.

We thought Sidney believed in our future. ::sniffle:: We thought he cared. We feel so... used!

McCain argues that making the education benefits too generous will hurt retention, as enlistees will leave for college after three years rather than reenlist. [...] [Sen. James] Webb points to a Congressional Budget Office analysis that found any possible losses in retention caused by his bill would be balanced by the increases in recruitment it would generate.

What? Sidney, is that true? You've been misleading us all this time? You cad! All you care about is yourself! What about us? What about your own family?

McCain's rationalization for opposing the bill may not hold water, but his stance makes perfect sense in light of his record. From 2004 to 2006, the Disabled Veterans of America gave him annual scores ranging from 50% to the most recent 20% when it comes to supporting the group's legislative priorities. The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America gave him a grade of "D" in its most recent analysis of voting records. The American Legion says he is dead wrong on the GI Bill, as does the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

You self-centered old fool. We're ready to break this relationship off. If you can stray to a younger woman, we can devote ourselves to a younger man... who believes in us:

When Obama (who has averaged an 86% rating from the Disabled Veterans of America) criticized McCain on the GI Bill, the Arizona senator angrily suggested that Obama's status as a non-veteran rendered his opinions on military matters worthless (an odd stance, as this standard would also discount the opinions of 85% of American men, 98.8% of American women and two-thirds of Congress).

And don't try to argue with us. We know who the Real McCain is:

So let's take McCain up on his invitation. Here is how he has stood on recent legislation supported by major veterans organizations:

* On Webb's GI Bill, he expressed opposition, and he was AWOL when it was time to vote on May 22.

* Last September, he voted against another Webb bill that would have mandated adequate rest for troops between combat deployments.

* On a badly needed $1.5-billion increase for veterans medical services for fiscal year 2007 -- to be funded through closing corporate tax loopholes -- he voted no. He also voted against establishing a trust fund to bolster under-budgeted veterans hospitals.

* In May 2006, he voted against a $20-billion allotment for expanding swamped veterans medical facilities.

* In April 2006, he was one of 13 Senate Republicans who voted against an amendment to provide $430 million for veterans outpatient care.

* In March 2004, he voted against and helped defeat on a party-line vote a $1.8-billion reserve for veterans medical care, also funded by closing tax loopholes.
[...] Webb pointed out that there really was no compromise in McCain's proposal because it would have excluded most veterans by offering full education benefits only to those with multiple enlistments, even though 70% to 75% of enlistees leave after one tour.

Take that, Sid. Oh, and give us back all our CDs... and the Army Jeep. We're trading it in for a Prius. You think you can get away with deserting us? Think again. We're leaving you for good:

So here is where the McCain image and reality part company. It is certainly true that his affectionate and respectful rhetoric for America's servicemen and women takes a back seat to no one. But when it comes to improving the health and education of our veterans, McCain's record leaves them stranded by the side of the road.

*Edward Humes is the author of "Over Here: How the GI Bill Transformed the American Dream" and, most recently, "Monkey Girl."