McCain's Elitism: New GI Bill For Officers Only

Last week I wrote that John McCain was refusing to sponsor Jim Webb's new GI Bill for Veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. This week, John McCain put forth his own, less robust bill, the contents of which amounts to a slap in the face of most soldiers who have served honorably in Iraq in Afghanistan. McCain's version of the bill would offer far more assistance to military personnel who served 12 years or more in the service - namely, officers.

Here's what Senator Webb's office had to say about McCain's bill:

Webb spokeswoman Kimberly Hunter said that McCain’s bill is more focused on career officers, not the entire volunteer military force. She said that Webb’s benefit was designed for those in the military looking to transition to other careers.

“This military does a fine job of managing its career force, but when comes to… the 70 to 75 percent of service members who volunteered and did their time and decided not to re-enlist, they’re being left behind and Sen. McCain’s legislation continues to do this,” Hunter said.

So war-hero/friend of the military John McCain is running around calling Obama an elitist, at the same time that he's trying to drum up benefits for officers while leaving behind all the young enlisted men who actually do the fighting for our country?

Give me a break.

This is an important issue:

Veterans have had trouble stretching the current GI Bill benefits to cover the rising costs of tuition, housing and books. And the burden is heavier for members of the National Guard and military reserves, who may have been in Afghanistan or Iraq, or both, several times but only receive credit for their longest deployment.

Webb’s proposals would cover the cost of tuition up to the most expensive in-state public school and provide stipends for books and housing based on the cost of living near the college. The bill would also allow members of the National Guard and reserves to accumulate their active-duty time and qualify for full benefits after serving three years.

Webb's bill has broad bipartisan support and does much more to aid young men and women who fought honorably at sometimes at great cost to themselves and their families. If McCain really supports the troops, he should show it by actually doing something to help support all the troops, not just a select few career officers.