McBush Supports the Troops

Its probably more accurate to say he supports the military. Its pretty clear that individual troops and the idea of soldiers as people doesn't get a whole lot of support from the Rethuglican nominee. John McBush, a Vietnam Vet himself, has been awkwardly absent from the G.I. Bill being pushed by Sen. Jim Webb (VA-D). Much has been made of McCain employing the tired GOP talking point of "Supporting the Troops." Those on the left critical of the Bush/McCain disaster in Iraq have been often smeared as unpatriotic and un-supportive of our men and women in uniform, despite the logical inconsistency of that argument (I am against a tragic, expensive, and unnecessary war of choice, and thus I am opposed to "the troops," whatever that means). Supporting the Troops has been the one unifying rallying cry of the Warmongers and Bloodletters on the Right, the single justification for continuing Bush's prideful adventure in death. Yet when it comes to actually supporting the troops, the record of the right has been somewhat lack-luster. The conditions of wounded vets at Walter-Reed, substandard or nonexistent body armor, deadly delays in delivering lifesaving anti-IED vehicles for soldiers, and ever-lengthening tours of duty, all at the hands of Republican leadership, are just a few examples.

Now this new G.I Bill would almost double educational benefits for service men and women, allowing them more money for college after their service, along with extending those benefits to Reservists and National Guardsmen, who currently receive significantly less than normal military members, despite oversea deployments and dangerous missions. Seems pretty sweet huh? I mean, who in their right mind could sincerely wish to deny this pittance of gratitude to the men and women who have risked, and sacrificed so much in their service to this country?

John McBush could. Maybe he isn't exactly "in his right mind," but that is a subject for another post. McCain claims to support the troops.

I'm a consistent supporter of educational benefits for the men and women of the military

Sounds like Ol' Blood n' Guts is saying the right things, now what is he actually doing? Seems he is refusing to co-sponsor, or even support, this bill. The rational?

I want to make sure that we have incentives for people to remain in the military as well as for people to join the military.

So he thinks providing funding (according to Webb, $2.5 billion and $4 billion annually, or about a week in Iraq) for troops to get an education after they return from duty is a bad thing, because it would encourage individuals to leave the military after their tours are up. So there's the rub. McCain doesn't want to support the troops, he wants to support "military retention."

Officials in charge of Pentagon personnel worry that a more generous and expansive GI Bill would create an incentive for troops to get out of the military and go to college.

Heaven forbid! Gawd knows we can't let these people go and get educated! Who will bleed and die for George W. Bush's amusement if that happens?!?!

McCain is terrified that if more troops attempt to better their lives instead of staying in the military as grunts indefinitely, his meat grinder in Iraq, which he obviously cares so much about, might just run dry. Shameful...

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