WHY DO REPUBLICANS ALWAYS SAY THEY SUPPORT THE TROOPS BUT THEN STAB THEM IN THE BACK?

PhotoOps & strolls is not the same as supporting the troops

The GI Bill was passed in the 1940s to help veterans transition back into civilian life by offering them a college education courtesy of the American taxpayers. The GI Bill was a successful program that helped build a strong and powerful American middle class after World War II. But to Republicans it was another socialist giveaway that took money out of the pockets of the wealthy to help poor slobs. Like all New Deal programs, they set about to destroy it. And, sure enough, it isn't an effective tool these days for achieving its goals. The good news, though, is that decorated ex-Marine, Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) and genuine war hero Chuck Hagel (R-NE) have a bill in Congress-- the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act (S.22 & H.R.2702)-- to update the GI Bill and it is being supported by almost every Democrat and by 9 Republicans.

Republicans always say they support the troops. But do they? Well, they support militarism and aggression, but they rarely support vets or even active duty soldiers. They support defense contractors and mercenaries but when it comes to our  own fighting men and women... talk is cheap and the GOP is cheaper. Look at John McCain, for example. He has made claiming to be a national war hero into a cottage industry and based his whole career on it but when it comes to voting in the Senate... his record on the well-being of our military personnel and his record on veterans are abysmal. Has there been anyone with a worse voting record on support for vets and active duty servicemen? Not many but, predictably, John Cornyn (R-TX) is one. Cornyn has the worst voting record in the whole Senate on the well-being of our troops, even worse than McCain's... and, of course, the worst voting record in the Senate on veterans' well-being too boot, also worse than McCain's. But what Cornyn and McCain both have in common is that neither will sign on to the Webb-Hagel GI Bill.

Last month we talked a little about how Inhofe always claims to "support the troops" but never does. "He's the epitome of what it is to be a Bush rubber stamp senator-- and he's up for re-election in 8 months-- and in a state where they take the welfare of our troops and veterans very, very seriously." He started feeling the heat from Oklahoma voters and from Democrat Andrew Rice and he actually signed on to Jim Webb's bill, a 100% departure for his zero record of support for our troops and vets. Today VoteVets and General Wes Clark are urging all Americans to sign a petition urging John McCain to sign the petition and show some leadership by bringing along enough Republican senators to actually pass this bill and keep it from being filibustered to death by chief GOP obstructionist Mitch McConnell. Take a look at Robert Greenwald's new video for this effort: