mccain and US troops/vets: friend or foe?

I could go on and on about last night's debate between Palin and Biden but I won't. Instead, I will focus on one topic of the debate.

While debating Iraq strategy, Palin said that Obama had voted against funding for troops. Biden said that was simply not true and that McCain had done so as well. Palin argued that McCain had done a lot for troops and veterans.

I already know that McCain voted against Jim Webb's (Virginia Senator--Dem) GI Bill that would expand benefits for vets. But someone who has claimed the following in regards to veterans--I love them, and I'll take care of them, and they know that I'll take care of them--should probably take care of them, don't you think? Especially since McCain is a war veteran himself.

So, I needed to know McCain's real records in regards to the troops in Iraq and caring for our veterans. I did some searching and found an incredible post at VetVoice.com, the blog for VoteVets.org. Here are some highlights:

• McCain Voted At Least 28 Times Against Veterans' Benefits, Including Healthcare. Since arriving in the U.S. Senate in 1987, McCain has voted at least 28 times against ensuring important benefits for America's veterans, including providing adequate healthcare.
  
• McCain Opposed $500 Million for Counseling Services for Veterans with Mental Disorders. McCain voted against an amendment to appropriate $500 million annually from 2006-2010 for counseling, mental health and rehabilitation services for veterans diagnosed with mental illness, posttraumatic stress disorder or substance abuse.
  
• McCain Voted Against Adding More Than $400 Million for Veterans' Care. McCain was one of 13 Republicans to vote against providing an additional $430 million to the Department of Veterans Affairs for outpatient care and treatment for veterans.

There's more. Trust.

Also, I love how someone who claims to support our troops apparently doesn't give a sh*t about them when they come back from war. You know, when they start to suffer from PTSD, anxiety, substance abuse, etc.

As far as troops go, here are some highlights:

• McCain voted Against Establishing a $1 Billion Trust Fund for Military Health Facilities. McCain voted against establishing a $1 billion trust fund to improve military health facilities by refusing to repeal tax cuts for those making more than $1 million a year.
  
• McCain voted against a ban on waterboarding--a form of torture--in a move that could eventually endanger American troops. According to ThinkProgress, "the Senate brought the Intelligence Authorization Bill to the floor, which contained a provision from Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) establishing one interrogation standard across the government. The bill requires the intelligence community to abide by the same standards as articulated in the Army Field Manual and bans waterboarding." McCain voted against the bill.
  
• McCain Also Supported Outsourcing at Walter Reed. McCain opposed an amendment to prevent the outsourcing of 350 federal employee jobs at Walter Reed Army Medical Center--outsourcing that contributed to the scandalous treatment of veterans at Walter Reed that McCain called a "disgrace."
  
• McCain said it's "not too important" when U.S. troops leave Iraq. This exchange occurred on NBC's Today Show with Matt Lauer:

LAUER: If it's working, senator, do you now have a better estimate of when American forces can come home from Iraq?
McCAIN: No, but that's not too important.

The waterboarding thing really gets to me. How can someone who was tortured in a time of war not be against waterboarding?

Again, there is definitely more. And sources for this info can be found at my source for this post.

I'm so over all the lying in McCain's campaign. It's getting pretty ridiculous.