Obama Blasts McCain On Veterans' Benefits

(AP)  Barack Obama told veterans Saturday that he can't understand why Republican John McCain opposes legislation that would provide college scholarships to people who have served in the U.S. military.

"Now, let me be clear: No one can dispute John McCain's love for this country or his concern for veterans. But here's what I don't understand. I don't understand why John McCain would side with George Bush and oppose our plan to make college more affordable for our veterans," the Democratic presidential candidate said. "George Bush and John McCain may think our plan is too generous. I could not disagree more."

Obama's criticism renews a clash that turned personal after the Senate approved the scholarship bill Thursday.

During the Senate debate, the Illinois senator questioned why McCain - a Navy veteran and former prisoner of war - would oppose the measure.

McCain responded with a sharp statement saying that he wouldn't listen to any lectures on veterans' affairs from Obama, "who did not feel it was his responsibility to serve our country in uniform."

The Arizona senator opposes the scholarship measure, as does the Pentagon, because it applies to people who serve just three years. He fears that would encourage people to leave the military after only one enlistment even as the U.S. fights two wars and is trying to increase the size of the Army and Marine Corps.

Instead, McCain and Republican colleagues proposed a bill to increase benefits in conjunction with a veteran's length of service. Senate Democrats blocked that measure.

"While Barack Obama engages in the same tired partisan politics that has failed our veterans time and again, John McCain has offered legislation that will expand needed education benefits for veterans while promoting retention in our armed forces," McCain spokesman Brian Rogers responded Saturday to Obama's remarks.

Only three primaries are left in the battle for the Democratic nomination, and Puerto Rico is holding one of them. After his speech, Obama was headed to a town hall-style meeting with voters in Old San Juan. Rival Hillary Rodham Clinton also had a town-hall event in Puerto Rico scheduled for later Saturday. Both candidates are hoping to increase their share of the 55 delegates who will be chosen June 1.

Puerto Ricans can vote in party primaries but not in the fall general election.

[wakeup60]

" I love the use of the English Language from the Republicans..."Blasts"...Obama did not BLAST anyone or any statement! There was NO "BLASTING" by Mr. Obama...HERE, THERE or EVERYWHERE ... not to a right-winged gloat-er, not with a Chaney gun tote-er, or to a bigheaded-bush-bloat-er...McBusher/thinks he''s gonna be the SLAMDUNKA with this election/sorry Georgetta #2.It WON"T be a tak''in place...sugar. The "Donkeys" will hold sure-footedly & tight in the reins...and will "Reign" in the White House in 2009,10,11,12,13,14,15,16! You can count on it! President Obama will take care of our Soldiers/they won''t have to beg for benefits/they will be given what they are deserving of...The best and alot of it!

[wakeup60]

"Go-Armydog2"/said it like it is!Whomever this terrorislami is/quite the Right aren''t you/wrong as you can be!What is wrong with giving our priceless vets an education for their service to Our Nation? Nothing as far as the lefts are concerned/Shame on McBush for not wanting the very best for fellow soldiers!Of ALL PEOPLE that should care and show our troops what is best for their lives after service is Dubya''s hugger boy.He gave his all for the military/should respect those that are giving their all now with benefits deserving of their time and service.I just love it when the Elephants think and state we, as Democrats, do not back and stand up for our troops/that we do not support them/every single one of them/How dare you use snide,vicious,sarcastic taunts to anyone/you''re the coward''s/every one. s why We want our kids alive & out of Iraq ASAP/like yesterday-long past/since day one of MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!How dare you slam anybody that loves this country for giving credit where credit is due to our young men and women that are over there/under false pretenses with the WRONG COUNTRY-We are the ones that want whats best for them/to come home in one piece and not draped with a red, white and blue flag/which should be shown each day on the news/Every casket unloaded,every gurney,wheelchair,or stretcher with our beloved youth coming home!4100/enough is enough McBush''s of the world!

[divitius]

In 2005 over 6200 veterans committed suicide. But John Sidney McCain III thinks the GI bill is too generous. How despicable.

[terrorislami]

never pay fascist nazi terrorislam tribute,,, never,,,

Kipling poem %u201CDane-Geld%u201D

It is always a temptation to an armed and agile nation
To call upon a neighbor and to say:%u2014
%u201CWe invaded you last night%u2014we are quite prepared to fight,
Unless you pay us cash to go away.%u201D

And that is called asking for Dane-geld,
And the people who ask it explain
That you%u2019ve only to pay %u2019em the Dane-geld
And then you%u2019ll get rid of the Dane!
Kipling runs briskly through the stages of humiliation undergone by any power that falls for this appeasement, and concludes:

It is wrong to put temptation in the pathof any nation,
For fear they should succumb and go astray;
So when you are requested to pay up or be molested,
You will find it better policy to say:%u2014

%u201CWe never pay any-one Dane-geld,
No matter how trifling the cost;
For the end of that game is oppression and shame,
And the nation that plays it is lost!%u201D

It may be fortunate that the United States had to pass this test, and imbibe this lesson, so early in its life as a nation.

[terrorislami]

the defeat of fascist nazoi terrorislam,,,

%u201CIt is a settled policy of America, that as peace is better than war, war is better than tribute. The United States, while they wish for war with no nation, will buy peace with none.%u201D President James Madison

[terrorislami]

america stands up to fascist nazi terrorislam,,,

But one cannot get around what Jefferson heard when he went with John Adams to wait upon Tripoli%u2019s ambassador to London in March 1785. When they inquired by what right the Barbary states preyed upon American shipping, enslaving both crews and passengers, America%u2019s two foremost envoys were informed that %u201Cit was written in the Koran, that all Nations who should not have acknowledged their authority were sinners, that it was their right and duty to make war upon whoever they could find and to make Slaves of all they could take as prisoners, and that every Mussulman who should be slain in battle was sure to go to Paradise.%u201D (It is worth noting that the United States played no part in the Crusades, or in the Catholic reconquista of Andalusia.)

Ambassador Abd Al-Rahman did not fail to mention the size of his own commission, if America chose to pay the protection money demanded as an alternative to piracy. So here was an early instance of the %u201Cheads I win, tails you lose%u201D dilemma, in which the United States is faced with corrupt regimes, on the one hand, and Islamic militants, on the other%u2014or indeed a collusion between them.
http://www.city-journal.org/html/17_2_urbanities-thomas_jefferson.html

[terrorislami]

Posted by armydog2 at 12:07 PM : May 27, 2008

can you say political partisan demonic-rats,,, sure you can,,, they put a pretty name on a bill and then structure it to hurt the military and therefore the safety and security of america,,,

but then you knew that already,,,

they have floated bill after bill after bill to hamstring our military since they do not have the balls to vote directly against funding the military,,, or voting an up or down viote to leave iraq,,,

so they do this partisan back door BS,,,

again,,, you knew that already,,,

[terrorislami]

fascist nazi terrorislam

In a way, I am glad that I did not have the initial benefit of all this research. My quest sent me to some less obvious secondary sources, in particular to Linda Colley%u2019s excellent book Captives, which shows the reaction of the English and American publics to a slave trade of which they were victims rather than perpetrators. How many know that perhaps 1.5 million Europeans and Americans were enslaved in Islamic North Africa between 1530 and 1780? We dimly recall that Miguel de Cervantes was briefly in the galleys. But what of the people of the town of Baltimore in Ireland, all carried off by %u201Ccorsair%u201D raiders in a single night?
http://www.city-journal.org/html/17_2_urbanities-thomas_jefferson.html

[armydog2]

terrorislam1
You just repeated your same rhetoric that belongs to bush and mccain. Now instead of repeating their bs, think a little Webb''s bill has bi-partisan support, do you know what that means? 50 democrat nad republican co-sponsors in the Senate and 300 democrat and republican co-sponsors in the House. They will over-ride a veto by numb nuts bush and this bill will be passed into law and our Soldiers will benefit from this law and our Military will be stronger than ever because these Troops will finally be getting what they have earned and certainly deserve.Democrats DO NOT HATE THE MILITARY. It seems to me mccain does and bush right along with him. and apparently so do you.

[terrorislami]

Posted by armydog2 at 10:41 AM : May 27, 2008

webbs bill by design hurts the military,,, because the demonic-rats hate the military,,, always have,,, always will,,,

the militsry is always treated better under the gop,,, always,,,

the governments primary purpose is to provide for the common defense,,, demonic-rats would leave us defenseless,,,

but you knew that already,,,