McCain draws tepid support from vets

Likely Republican U.S. presidential nominee John McCain's poor record on veterans affairs earned him a tepid response in Las Vegas, advocates say.

Speaking before the Disabled American Veterans convention in Las Vegas Saturday, response to the U.S. senator from Arizona was muted, partially because he had earned low marks from the group by opposing four bills that would have boosted spending on veterans, The Los Angeles Times reported.

Noting the group had rated his likely Democratic opponent, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., at 80 percent, David Autry, spokesman for the congressionally chartered nonprofit veterans' group, said McCain scored only 20 percent by supporting only one of five veterans' spending bills in the last Congress.

McCain said he opposed measures to increase funding for veterans' health benefits and eliminating enrollment fees and higher pharmacy co-payments because the bills were laden with unrelated "pork barrel" spending, the Times reported.

Only one of 14 veterans interviewed by the Las Vegas Sun after the appearance said they were voting for McCain. Some said they objected to McCain using the occasion to launch a harsh attack on Obama's Iraq troop withdrawal proposals.

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Seriously. When you're running on a platform of strength and using (and allowing the widespread and flagrant use of) your status as a former POW as part of your "PICK ME!! PICK ME!!" appeal, you might have taken better care of the dogs in your own kennel. Because those dogs, once you've become either an enemy or a liability (or let's face it - an annoying fucker) can and will bite you.

This guy is a decorated war hero. He got shot down in North Vietnam, injured badly in the crash (fractures to both arms and a leg, as well as nearly drowning in the lake he parachuted into) and subsequently beaten by a mob that pulled him from the lake - then crushed his shoulder with a rifle butt, and bayoneted him. THEN he was imprisoned and tortured for 5 1/2 years. He received little to no care for his injuries (naturally) and was routinely tortured and beaten - yet he kept his "FUCK YOU" attitude through most of it. 5 1/2 years of this, and even now all these years after his ordeal, he still has permanent injuries sustained from that time. He wouldn't give in to his captors, even when offered early release, until or unless all of his comrades were guaranteed release as well.

So after all of this, after everything I've just written down, even a group of disabled veterans declares that John McCain does not pass muster. Why the hell should anyone else?

Any Hillary Clinton fans out there still planning on support for the Manchurian Candidate as anti-Obama retribution? Think about the current 4,441 coalition deaths and the thousands of troops that are gravely injured who will never get the care they deserve - the care they were promised with false assurances before you answer that. Think about the looming threat that is Iran and North Korea (both of whom are no doubt loving this new distraction in the form of the Russia/Georgia debacle) also before you decide.

If that's not enough, I got more...