Jim Webb and Chuck Hegel introduce a bill to expand GI education benefits for the veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. Unbelievably, McCain opposes the bill. But what happens later is even more unbelievable.
Flip
According to ABC:
"Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, seemed to give a thumbs down to bipartisan legislation that would greatly expand educational benefits for members of the military returning from Iraq and Afghanistan under the GI Bill.
"McCain indicated he would offer some sort of alternative to the legislation to address concerns that expanding the GI Bill could lead more members of the military to get out of the service."
McCain's rationale was that increasing these incentives and benefits would decrease the percentage of armed force members who re-enlist in the military. This is despite the fact that an independent study indicated that this loss in re-enlistments would be made up in new enlistments.
Ultimately, however, the bill was passed by the Senate. That's where things get truly surreal.
Despite the fact that McCain opposed the passage of Webb's bill, that didn't stop him from trying to take credit for its passage anyway.
"I’m happy to tell you that we probably agreed to an increase in educational benefits for our veterans that not only gives them increase in their educational benefits, but if they stay in for a certain period of time than they can transfer those educational benefits to their spouses and or children. That’s a very important aspect I think of incentivizing people of staying in the military."
Just in case you have any doubts, here's the video:
Since he hasn't voted on anything in the Senate since April, he can take credit for this? I understood that he couldn't wrap his head around a citizen army in the first place.
