The real John McCain on veterans issues he votes NO

Ignoring McCain's own votes, media again air McCain campaign attacks on Obama over funding for war, veterans

Summary: Fox News and the Los Angeles Times uncritically reported attacks by Sen. John McCain's campaign on Sen. Barack Obama for voting against an emergency supplemental appropriations bill to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which also included provisions for veterans, without noting that McCain also voted against legislation that would have funded troops in the field and care for veterans.


On May 12 and 13, respectively, Fox News and the Los Angeles Times uncritically reported attacks by Sen. John McCain's campaign on Sen. Barack Obama for voting against an emergency supplemental appropriations bill to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which also included provisions for veterans, without noting that McCain himself voted against legislation that would have funded troops in the field and care for veterans. These examples fit a pattern documented by Media Matters for America in which the media uncritically report McCain's attacks on Democrats for voting against troop funding, without noting that McCain voted against a bill that would have funded the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and directed more than $1 billion to the Department of Veterans Affairs, as well as other legislation funding care for veterans.

The May 13 Los Angeles Times article reported that Obama "criticized McCain for backing what Obama said was a less-ambitious version" of Sen. Jim Webb's (D-VA) proposal to expand the GI Bill and stated: "The McCain campaign fired back, noting that Obama voted against an Iraq war spending measure that included $1.8 billion for veterans medical care. Obama opposed the bill because it did not include a plan to bring the troops home." The article quoted McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds saying, "It is absurd for Barack Obama to question John McCain's commitment to America's veterans, when Obama himself voted against funding our nation's veterans and troops in the field during a time of war." In addition, on the May 12 edition of Fox News' America's Election HQ, while discussing the differences between the GI bills supported by Obama and McCain, co-anchor Bill Hemmer did not challenge Nancy Pfotenhauer, senior policy adviser for the McCain campaign, when she asserted that "about this time last year, Senator Obama voted against $94.4 billion that would help our troops in a time of war." Later, in an interview with Federico Peña, a national co-chair for the Obama campaign, co-anchor Megyn Kelly echoed the statement in quoting a McCain spokesman who said, "It is absurd for Barack Obama to question John McCain's commitment to America's veterans when Obama himself voted against funding our nation's veterans and troops in the field during a time of war."

However, neither the Times nor Fox News pointed out that on March 29, 2007, McCain himself voted against H.R. 1591, an emergency spending bill that would have funded the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and would have provided more than $1 billion in additional funds to the Department of Veterans Affairs. The Senate passed H.R. 1591 by a margin of 51-47. Once the bill's conference report was agreed to by the House, the Senate again passed the measure on April 26, 2007, by a vote of 51-46. McCain did not vote on that version of the bill. By contrast, Obama voted for it on both occasions. President Bush vetoed the bill, citing its provision for a timetable for the withdrawal of troops from Iraq.

Moreover, McCain has voted against other legislation funding care for veterans, which the Times and Fox News anchors did not mention. On April 26, 2006, McCain voted against the "Akaka Amendment," which would have "provide[d] an additional $430,000,000 for the Department of Veteran Affairs for Medical Services for outpatient care and treatment for veterans." In addition, on March 14, 2006, McCain voted against "increas[ing] Veterans medical services funding by $1.5 billion in FY 2007 to be paid for by closing corporate tax loopholes." On March 10, 2004, McCain also voted against "creat[ing] a reserve fund to allow for an increase in Veterans' medical care by $1.8 billion by eliminating tax loopholes." Obama voted for the first two measures; he had not yet entered the Senate when the third vote was cast.

From the May 13 Los Angeles Times article:

But he [Obama] took direct aim at McCain over what should be a signature issue for the Arizona senator and former Vietnam War prisoner: veterans benefits.

Obama reiterated his support for Virginia Democratic Sen. Jim Webb's 21st Century GI Bill -- Clinton signed on as a co-sponsor in May 2007, Obama in November -- and criticized McCain for backing what Obama said was a less-ambitious version.

"He is one of the few senators of either party who oppose this bill because he thinks it's too generous," Obama said. "At a time when the skyrocketing cost of tuition is pricing thousands of Americans out of a college education, we should be doing everything we can to give the men and women who have risked their lives for this country the chance to pursue the American dream."

The McCain campaign fired back, noting that Obama voted against an Iraq war spending measure that included $1.8 billion for veterans medical care. Obama opposed the bill because it did not include a plan to bring the troops home.

"It is absurd for Barack Obama to question John McCain's commitment to America's veterans, when Obama himself voted against funding our nation's veterans and troops in the field during a time of war," said McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds.

McCain and the Democrats also tussled over global warming. McCain, in Oregon, endorsed a "cap and trade" policy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and vowed to work through the United Nations to devise a global approach.

From the May 12 edition of Fox News' America's Election HQ:

HEMMER: Nancy, I want to get to this back-and-forth between Obama and McCain in the campaigns today. That got pretty sharp, actually, about the GI Bill. Senator Barack Obama -- listen here -- on his address to McCain.

OBAMA [video clip]: I have great respect for John McCain's service to this country. I know he loves it dearly and honors those who serve, but John McCain is one of the few senators of either party who oppose this bill because he thinks it's too generous. He thinks it's too generous. Now, I could not disagree with him more.

HEMMER: Pretty sharp words there. Nancy, your response?

PFOTENHAUER: Oh, talk about just flagrant political pandering. I mean, that was so -- that is diametrically opposed to the truth. And let me just point out that about this time last year, Senator Obama voted against $94.4 billion that would help our troops in a time of war.

Senator McCain has his own legislation, and by the way, he's largely supportive of the goals of the Webb bill. The problem is, it doesn't do enough -- it doesn't do it quickly enough and it does nothing to address re-enlistment and retention. In fact, CBO, the Congressional Budget Office, has estimated that if the Webb bill went through, we'd see a reduction in re-enlistment rates of 16 percent.

The other thing that's critically different with Senator McCain's legislation is that he supports transferability of education credits, and the Webb bill doesn't do that. And what I mean by transferability, is if you're a veteran and you have education benefits but you are, for some reason, unable to take advantage of them yourself, Senator McCain's legislation would allow you to give that to your spouse, give that to your child, make sure that they're allowed and your family is still allowed to benefit.

HEMMER: Nancy, not to split hairs here, but this an important point here. From what I understand, McCain's proposal would take longer for servicemen and servicewomen to qualify for education subsidies. Is that it in a nutshell?

[...]

KELLY: But wait, before we get to energy -- before we get to energy, I just want to make another point on the GI Bill, because McCain responded today to Senator Obama's position, and I think we have the quote. All righty --

PEÑA: OK.

KELLY: I'd like to get your reaction it.

He says, "It is absurd for Barack Obama to question John McCain's commitment to America's veterans when Obama himself voted against funding our nation's veterans and troops in the field during a time of war," and they go on to cite the examples of that.

PEÑA: Well, nice distraction, but not on point. The question is: What are we doing with veterans? That other bill had to do with appropriations to people in service in the war and that's a very different issue. We're talking about veterans.
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The average grade given by the Veterans Service Organizations on Senator McCains voting record on issues that help veterans is 40% or less he likes veterans just not disabled ones that cost money

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