GI Bill Passes

Webb's 21st century GI bill passed with a veto-proof majority:

Twenty-five Republican senators broke with President Bush and voted Thursday for a major expansion of veterans’ benefits as part of a bill to finance another year of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The proposal, adopted by a vote of 75 to 22, also provides money for extended unemployment insurance benefits and other domestic programs to which Mr. Bush has objected.

Of course troop-hating, terrorist-loving Barack Obama voted for bill, but even though troop-loving veteran John McCain opposed the bill, he couldn't be bothered to show up and vote against it, which led to:

“I respect Senator John McCain’s service to our country,” Mr. Obama said. “But I can’t understand why he would line up behind the president in opposition to this G.I. Bill.”

Mr. McCain, who was campaigning in California, shot back with a statement questioning Mr. Obama’s motives.

“I take a back seat to no one in my affection, respect and devotion to veterans,” Mr. McCain said. “I will not accept from Senator Obama, who did not feel it was his responsibility to serve our country in uniform, any lectures on my regard for those who did.”

Easy, senator, no reason to throw a hissy fit! McCain is losing it, fast.

Go Home, Joe

Jim Webb:

On the Senate floor today, Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA) made an impassioned appeal to his fellow senators, declaring that the Lieberman-Kyl amendment on Iran should be “withdrawn” because the “proposal is Dick Cheney’s fondest pipe dream.” Webb cautioned that the “cleverly-worded sense of the Congress” could be “interpreted” to “declare war” on Iran. He continued:

Those who regret their vote five years ago to authorize military action in Iraq should think hard before supporting this approach. Because, in my view, it has the same potential to do harm where many are seeking to do good.

“At best, it’s a deliberate attempt to divert attention from a failed diplomatic policy,” said Webb. “At worst, it could be read as a backdoor method of gaining Congressional validation for military action, without one hearing and without serious debate.”

You're stupid and ugly and nobody likes you.

Supporting the Troops

Republican-style:

Virginia Democratic Sen. Jim Webb struggled to secure enough Republican votes Tuesday to win passage of a measure aimed at giving Army soldiers more time at home between de-ployments to Iraq.

But as senators prepared for today's floor debate, the support of a key potential Republican ally - fellow Virginian Sen. John Warner - appeared in doubt.

Warner, one of seven Republican moderates who voted to advance Webb's measure in July, was "reconsidering" his position, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Once again a Republican acts entirely predictably and pulls the rug out from under a Democrat and the media stands by on the sidelines acting as if it's the most surprising thing ever. The wavering Republican meme has been around for at least a couple years. It goes something like this:

1. Republican says that he might consider disagreeing with Bush
2. Media engages in slavish codpiece worship (note that Democrats don't get it for disagreeing with Bush. What makes things interesting for the Beltway is when someone does what he isn't 'supposed to do' - look at courageous Joe Lieberman! - regardless of the correctness of his decision)
3. Republican backtracks and resumes his place at Bush's feet
4. Media paints it as a Democratic loss, but one where all the actors are Republican
5. Rinse and repeat
   

They still haven't figured it out. As many bloggers have pointed out, it's like Lucy pulling the football away from Charlie Brown. You'd think the media would pick up on it by now, but no such luck.

Here's how it works: Republicans hate the troops. If they liked the troops even a little bit, instead of treating them like G.I. Joe action figures, they'd treat them like human beings who have real lives, families, jobs, hopes, dreams and morale issues.

Hating the Troops

Dirty hippie Jim Webb:

Virginia Sen. Jim Webb criticized the Army's top civilian leader Tuesday for extending soldiers' deployments to 15 months, saying the three-month increase is damaging the health of American troops.

The Vietnam veteran, whose son recently returned from Iraq, urged Acting Army Secretary Pete Geren to reconsider the policy change made last spring that extended 12-month tours of an already strained Army force.

``I am deeply troubled by the 15-month deployment requirement," Webb told Geren, who testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee. ``Who was talking for the well-being and health of the soldiers when this was put down?"