Webb Bill Passes Senate

by hilzoy

From the Washington Post:

"The Senate today approved $165 billion to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan well into the next presidency, but in a break with President Bush, it also approved billions of dollars in domestic spending and a generous expansion of veterans education benefits. (...)

The 75-22 vote surprised even the measure's advocates and showed clearly the impact of the looming November election on Republican unity. Senate Republicans who face reelection broke first on the amendment, followed by other Republicans who quickly jumped on board.

It was a clear rebuke to Bush, who has promised to veto any measure that adds domestic spending to his $108 billion request to fund the war. The White House opposed the expanded G.I. Bill, concerned that the price tag was too high and the generous benefits could entice soldiers and Marines to leave the overburdened military rather than reenlist."

This is really great news. Good for Jim Webb for pushing it; good for the Senators who voted for it. The roll call is here.

***

In somewhat related news, during the debate on this bill Barack Obama said: "I respect Senator John McCain's service to our country. He is one of those heroes of which I speak. But I can't understand why he would line up behind the President in his opposition to this GI bill." I thought that was a pretty innocuous statement, myself. But it seems to have gotten to McCain, who shot back a long response which falls somewhere on the spectrum running from caustic to downright bizarre. It begins:

"It is typical, but no less offensive that Senator Obama uses the Senate floor to take cheap shots at an opponent and easy advantage of an issue he has less than zero understanding of. Let me say first in response to Senator Obama, running for President is different than serving as President. The office comes with responsibilities so serious that the occupant can't always take the politically easy route without hurting the country he is sworn to defend. Unlike Senator Obama, my admiration, respect and deep gratitude for America's veterans is something more than a convenient campaign pledge. I think I have earned the right to make that claim."

I do not, and never would, question either John McCain's personal heroism or his admiration and respect for veterans. If I hadn't just gone and looked up his record on veterans' issues, it would not occur to me to wonder whether that admiration and respect had actually translated into action. But I did, and it didn't. That made me somewhat less sympathetic to the condescension that followed, and less inclined to take McCain's recitation of his family history as showing much of anything.

I particularly liked the part about the responsibilities of the Presidency being so serious that a person of conscience cannot take the politically easy route. No doubt that explains why McCain has refused the temptation to support making permanent the tax cuts he once called irresponsible:

"Contrast this with McCain 2001, who said, quite correctly, "I cannot in good conscience support a tax cut in which so many of the benefits go to the most fortunate among us, at the expense of middle-class Americans who most need tax relief." Or McCain 2003, who called further tax cuts "irresponsible," adding, "At a time of war, at a time of economic stagnation, at a time of rising national debt . . . one might expect our national leaders to pursue policies calling for shared sacrifice to achieve shared benefits. Regrettably, that is not the case." Or McCain 2004, who said, "I voted against the tax cuts because of the disproportionate amount that went to the wealthiest Americans. I would clearly support not extending those tax cuts in order to help address the deficit.""

No doubt it also explains why McCain never resorted to cheap political gimmicks like temporary cuts in the gas tax, or misrepresenting negotiation as appeasement. That would be to take the politically easy route, instead of taking his responsibilities seriously. And John McCain would never, ever, do that.

Comments

[Hogan]

William Safire wrote that one of his most important jobs in the White House was to walk into the Oval Office and say, "Take the easy way out, Mr. President--do the popular thing!" Then he would write into Nixon's speeches, "Some of my advisors have urged me to take the easy way out--to do the popular thing. I will not do that."

I wonder who McCain has in mind for the Safire position.

[Mr Furious]

Then how does "NOT VOTING" square with McCain's rationale? That seems like the easiest possible route.

If he made that statement as he cast his "Nay" and explained why he opposed it, he'd get some credit from me for taking a stance. Not showing up and catcalling from the sidelines without an explanation why the Bill isn't sound sounds like the cheapest of political gimmicks.

[LFC]

Speaking of "appeasement" and McCain's view on talking to Ahmadinejad, I think something needs to be explored. Follow me on this...

- John McCain says that Ahmadinejad is the real power in Iran, and of course would be the one Obama would talk to.

- Ahmadinejad was elected by the Iranian people. If the elections weren't a total sham (like, say, a Florida vote or the count from a Diebold machine), that means he's the democratically elected leader of Iran.

- The Bush/McCain policy is clamoring for regime change in Iran.

Therefore, Bush and McCain want to overthrow the only functional democracy in the Middle East outside of Israel.

If, however, Ahmadinejad actually has very limited power as compared to the self-appointed mullahs, then it's not a democracy. Of course, that completely undercuts the Bush/McCain argument that he's the real leader.

So which is it, McCain? Is Ahmadinejad the real deal, which means Iran is a legitimate democracy, or is he highly limited in his power to what the mullahs allow him, in which case your argument falls flat?

[Adam]

Other bizarre parts:

1. McCain railed on Obama for a bit about how running for President isn't the same thing as being President. (That boy -- I mean whippersnapper?) Now, how McCain would know, I have no idea -- I guess he might have asked Hillary about it, but she voted for the bill too, so that's out.

2. McCain also made a big deal about how he actually likes Webb's bill (or the idea of benefits), which is the reasonable position considering how badly Bush has been screwing the troops for years.

But he says that the solution is his (McCain's) bill -- the difference being that, unlike Webb's bill, McCain's bill scales benefits based on how long the soldier's served. And why is that better? Because otherwise soldiers will ditch out early to get their benefits and strand their comrades overseas. Now that's how you "demagogue" the troops! By slandering them. I guess?

3. And to top it all off, of course, McCain levies this barrage of nonsense from California where he's campaigning, as one of only two (three?) Senators who can't be bothered to actually show up and vote. Is that the "politically difficult" route?

[professordarkheart]

Shorter John McCain:

"Blah blah, he's irresponsible, blah blah, I'm a maverick, blah blah blah.

Hey, my dad was a war hero! His dad too! Did you know that I was a war hero? But I don't like to talk about that.

Blah blah, he can't even read, blah blah [to himself: do you think they're noticing how I'm not losing my temper?], MAVERICK! MAVERICK!"

[Adam]

Maybe he was busy working on rejecting and denouncing the Hagee endorsement he sought and trying to come up with a way to make it look different than Obama rejecting Wright, whose endorsement he never sought nor rejected as I recall.

I could see how that might have been on McCain's mind, since that Hagee-Hitler bit came out last night and he had to have been planning to do something about it today.

He was probably all glad, too, that he'd managed to sneak out of D.C. during the vote on the benefits bill that he didn't want to go on record about... until Obama tweaked him like that. McCain would have been so, so much better off ignoring it and letting Webb's bill dominate the news cycle -- but he just couldn't help it.

Man, the debates are going to be so much fun. I need to stock up on popcorn.

[majun]

"...less inclined to take McCain's recitation of his family history as showing much of anything."

His family history shows everything about McCain. Three generations of freeloaders at the Naval Academy...what possible use could anyone have for GI benefits? Three generations of free medical care...what possible use could anyone have for universal health care?

McCain the maverick is nothing but an "I got mine, now screw you" Republican.

[trilobite]

It's a truism that you don't get elected by showing disrespect for the military - but I wonder whether John McCain has invented a brand-new political sin by offending all us non-military folk who think we are nonetheless allowed to have an opinion about sound military policy. Military families are quite a small fraction of voters. If I were McCain, I wouldn't go around implying that he is on a vastly higher moral and intellectual plane than all the rest of us because he served.

[felix culpa]

I may just conventionally ill-informed, but it seemed not long ago he had some substance, some backbone. All those policies hilzoy lists him advocating sound credible.

The first sign was his backing up on torture. He’d only just expressed himself as appalled, then did a 180. Dodging the metaphorical bullet, he banged his head into the metaphorical brick wall behind and scrambled his metaphorical brains.
Or maybe McCain, Haggee, and Mephistopheles walked into a bar, and he hasn’t been able walk in a straight line or talk straight since.

We await debate with undiminished relish and mustard.

[felix culpa]

yeah, ‘just be conventionally..’

[felix culpa]

and popcorn.

[Adam]

Given McCain's temper, I get a kick considering how miserable he must have been having to hug and kiss up to Dubya over the last 8 years.

It's simply not credible to think that a guy who gets this worked up about Obama's little one-off comment on the Senate floor didn't remember how Bush treated him during the 2000 primary. Man, it must drive him nuts.

[Jeff]

It's a truism that you don't get elected by showing disrespect for the military

It's worked for the Republicans for the past 8 years. Unless you mean that you need to pretend to respect the military (while sending them off to an unneeded war with bad equipment, turning their hospital into a Roach Motel, making them homeless when they return from ever-increasing duty), etc. All the while claiming that the the Dems a re traitors who don't "support the troops".

[democommie]

Shorter John McCain.

"I'm a lying piece of shit, but vote for me or I'll kick your fucking ass."

The man never, NEVER, had any cred in my book. So he sat in a fucking jail in Hanoi for six year--I give a fuck less, it doesn't make him a hero. Trying to escape and getting his ass killed would have made him a hero. He's a pos.

[hilzoy]

democommie: profanity violates the posting rules.

[Stratocaster]

Anybody else notice how similar these McCain remarks are to remarks made recently by Chuck Hagel?
"We know from past campaigns that presidential candidates will say many things," Hagel said of some of McCain's recent rhetoric, namely his policy on talking to Iran. "But once they have the responsibility to govern the country and lead the world, that difference between what they said and what responsibilities they have to fulfill are vastly different."
Sting much, JM?

[als]

Sure it wasn't Obama talking about America or Kenya or S. Africa?

[Brett Bellmore]

It's really great news that they passed a billion dollar pork bill with some military spending attached? Maybe if you're an incumbent Congressman, but it's not good news for the nation.

[Gary Farber]

"Sure it wasn't Obama talking about America or Kenya or S. Africa?"

Is it just me who is having trouble figuring out what this is even intended to mean?

[Pug]

Maybe he was busy working on rejecting and denouncing the Hagee endorsement

Actually, McCain had more important things to do. He was at a fundraiser in California.

This bill isn't about Obama and McCain. It is Jim Webb's bill and 75 senators voted for it.

McCain is out with the nutbags on this one. He's vulnerable and he knows it and it makes him furious, as so many other things do. That's why his attack on Obama was so personal and so angry.

The Democrats should not let up on him on this one. They should make him defend opposing education benefits for Iraq veterans and not bothering to show up for the vote.

[bedtimeforbonzo]

This Clinton supporter says:

Obama-Webb.

A winning ticket.

[Sandy]

Is he to allow our troops to be used as political bait? I think not!
I would rather NOT be used as bait!
Wife of an E-6 U.S Army

[Sandy]

P.S If you wanna make a bill stop attaching your hidden agendas to it!! Screw all of Washington! We are sick of it! On zombie citizens!!
He is a very honorable man! I am not one to be spoon fed. I looked up the bill there was more stuff than just the funding for our troops. That's just something to use to hide behind if someone says no, you guys can call him unpatriotic. That is cowardly!