Bush Congratulates Self, McCain on new G.I. Bill

 

This isn't a huge deal, but the audacity and duplicity is so astounding that I'm kind if awestruck and severely offended.  In a nutshell, Bush signed the new G.I. Bill into law today, giving our returning veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan the same (or better) benefits returning WWII were granted. Commenting to press, he said, "The bill is a result of close collaboration between my administration and members of both parties on Capitol Hill" and went on to "thank members who worked hard on the G.I. Bill expansion, especially Senators Webb and Warner, Graham, Byrne, McCain."

 

The problem here is twofold: For one thing, Bush threatened to veto this very bill and the only reason he voted for it was because Congress rolled it into a supplemental appropriations bill that contained the money Bush needs to keep paying for his war.  I'll say that again because it bears repeating: Bush threatened to veto the new G.I. Bill but once the Democrats basically forced him to sign it by packaging it with money he needs to keep our troops in Iraq suddenly he is talking about how his administration worked in "close collaboration with members of both parties."

 

Secondly, and more relevant to the upcoming election, John McCain vehemently opposed this new G.I. Bill. He wanted a less generous bill that paid for only a fraction of our soldiers' educational expenses for each tour of duty they served, forcing them to serve 3 or more tours of duty in order to afford to go to college. John McCain actively opposed this new G.I. Bill, lobbying for Senators to vote instead for his own less generous bill, yet Bush included John McCain in a list of people who "worked hard on the G.I. Bill expansion".

 

Unbelievable.