Yup. Alleged war hero (what exactly did he DO in 'Nam other than get shot down, get captured and get tortured?) John McCain supports the troops. Right? As long as it doesn't cost his rich friends any tax dollars.
From Think Progress:
Today, Sen. John McCain spoke to the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Kansas City, MO. He spoke at length about the sacrifice paid by U.S. soldiers in Iraq, acknowledging “how little has been asked of others compared to their service” and declaring that the nation owes veterans “a debt that we can never fully repay.” He also said that veterans should have access to “the highest quality health…care in the world” upon returning:
"As President, I will do everything in my power to ensure that those who serve today and those who have served in the past have access to the highest quality health, mental health and rehabilitative care in the world. The disgrace of Walter Reed must not be forgotten. … Whatever our commitments to veterans cost, we will keep them, as you have kept every commitment to us. The honor of a great nation is at stake."
Not only has McCain refused to support the 21st Century GI Bill, which the Veterans of Foreign Wars endorsed last June, he has consistently voted against increasing funding for the Veterans’ Administration, which oversees all medical care for veterans:
– Voted AGAINST an amendment providing $20 billion to the VA’s medical facilities. [5/4/06]
– Voted AGAINST providing $430 million to the VA for outpatient care “and treatment for veterans,” one of only 13 senators to do so. [4/26/06]
– Voted AGAINST increasing VA funding by $1.5 billion by closing corporate loopholes. [3/14/06]
– Voted AGAINST increasing VA funding by $1.8 billion by ending “abusive tax loopholes.” [3/10/04]
– Voted AGAINST a $650 million increase in veterans’ medical care funding. [8/1/01]
Though McCain has derided progressive universal health care plans as “a government takeover,” he is mum on the success of the VA, a government-run, integrated approach that, as Paul Krugman put it, is “one of the few clear American success stories in the struggle to contain health care costs.”
McCain’s zero-regulation, every-man-for-himself approach to health insurance would in effect “dismantle” the VA — what Krugman calls “a completely wrongheaded approach to health care.”
This is much more important than the story of him calling his wife a "trollop" and a "cunt."
There are a fair number of longtime Democratic voters who have pledged not to support the donkey ticket if their chosen candidate is denied the nomination. Dan Payne, in an op-ed piece in the Boston Globe, was good enough to compile the sad facts of what a disgruntled Dem enabled McCain presidency is likely to mean for our nation. I quote liberally below:
"Look before you jump. Democrats thinking of voting for John McCain should ask themselves if they want a hot-tempered, right-wing Republican in the White House - keeping his foot on the gas in Iraq, sentencing women to illegal abortions, and pouring cement around President Bush's tax cuts for the rich.
"A Republican in Republican's clothing. McCain is, my friends, a Republican, a self-described "foot soldier in the Reagan Revolution." He voted against expanding the children's health insurance program and against an assault rifle ban.
"Stiff the little guy, save the big boys. He's against the federal government helping thousands of people who lost homes in the subprime mortgage debacle. But he's OK with the Federal Reserve lending $30 billion to salvage Bear Stearns.
"He's the eighth-most conservative senator in Congress, after being the second-most conservative senator the preceding session.
"The
"Can't tell Shi'ite from Shinola. Our foreign policy expert, while in Iraq, said over and over that Iran was training Al Qaeda in Iraq. No such thing is happening. Iran, a Shi'ite country, has been training and financing Shi'ite extremists, not Al Qaeda, who are Sunni insurgents. No wonder McCain says we'll have to be in Iraq for 100 years. He doesn't know who's fighting whom.
"Roll over, Darwin. On teaching 'intelligent design,' he said: 'I think that there has to be all points of view presented. . . . There's nothing wrong with teaching different schools of thought.'
"John Hagee, McCain's cross to bear. If Obama has to answer for the Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr., McCain should have to answer for John Hagee.
"Last month, McCain said: "I was pleased to have the endorsement of Pastor John Hagee," who runs a 19,000-member church in Texas.
Catholic League president Bill Donohue said: 'Hagee has waged an unrelenting war against the Catholic Church. For example, he likes calling it "The Great Whore," an "apostate church," the "anti-Christ," and a "false cult system."
"Hagee has preached that God is going to use Muslim terrorists to create 'bloodbaths' to punish us for our sinful policies toward Israel.
"He felt that New Orleans had it coming when Hurricane Katrina struck. 'New Orleans had a level of sin that was offensive to God.' How would he know?
"The Supremes. The day the next president takes office, five of the nine Supreme Court justices will be over 70. John Paul Stevens will be 88; Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 75; Anthony Kennedy, 71; Stephen Breyer, 70; and, I smile as I write this, Antonin Scalia is 72.
"The next president will probably pick one or two of their replacements; maybe more, if he or she is reelected. McCain, who favors the repeal of Roe v. Wade, promises conservative audiences, 'We're going to have justices like [John] Roberts and [Samuel] Alito.'
"Throwing lobbyists into the bus. McCain chairs the Senate committee that oversees the telecommunications industry. Charlie Black, McCain's lead strategist, admits to lobbying on his cellphone for his telecommunications clients on McCain's so-called Straight Talk Express bus. Campaign manager Rick Davis also on the bus, founded a lobbying firm that carries water for major telecommunications clients. At last count, a whopping 59 lobbyists are raising money for McCain." -- Dan Payne, "So, You Want o be a McCain Democrat?", Boston Globe, 4/3/08
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