Calling All Armchair- Warrior Republicans!

Numerous stories have emerged in the media about how Republicans have all but abandoned American Veterans. Those supportive of the Republican Party dismiss those reports as coming from a biased media. Voting records however are fact and fact supports the stories.

All one need do is go to Project Vote Smart and look at the voting records of Congressional Republicans on legislation supported by the DAV (http://www.vote-smart.org/issue_rating_detail.php?sig_id=004044M) to see that the Republican rhetoric of supporting the military and veterans is pure hypocrisy. Not only are the Republican Congressional voting records telling of their contempt for veterans, they also show a disturbing trend since the Republicans gained the White House.

After 2001, when the Bush Administration was firmly seated, what little support Republicans gave legislation benefiting veterans, especially disabled veterans, vaporized. This would lead one to conclude that the administration is anti-veteran and that the Republicans in both houses are in lock step with the Bush Administration.

These armchair-warrior Republicans and their families have failed to make any sacrifices for this country through military service. But they are damned quick to send those who serve into harm’s way for their own personal agendas and the benefit of their cronies who fund their campaign coffers in thanks for fat federal contracts.

These people who have never served a day appear before the cameras with our GIs and vets for every photo op available, making their speeches publicly declaring their support for the troops and vets only to return to DC where they quietly erode what little benefits given our troops and vets at every turn.

As a twenty-one year veteran I find the hypocrisy evidenced by the actions of the Republican Party with regard to the military and veterans repugnant.

As they put those willing to serve in harms way, they throw $5-billion each month into the Iraqi debacle without a single smoking-gun to justify the military action and no end in sight. Afghanistan was justifiable as we could trace the source of the attacks. The evidence was clear and compelling. Iraq, however, has yet to be justified as hard as the administration and its lock-step legions have tried.

Worse the war in Iraq is funded in large part at the expense of domestic programs and by stripping veterans and the military of benefits by slashing the budgets for VA programs or creating new caveats to receive them or denying them outright. But taking away isn’t sufficient enough; they have to block every piece of legislation that might provide any benefit, no matter how small, to veterans as well as their widows and orphans.

Meanwhile those who voted in the current administration spend a $1.95 on yellow ribbons urging us to “Support Our Troops”. If any of these people really want to support the troops they’d spend that $1.95 on postage to their representatives in support of legislation to benefit the troops and veterans while calling Republicans to task to develop a solid exit strategy then hold their feet to the fire to do so.

Now we’re “damned if we do and damned if we don’t”. If we cut and run we lose face before the world, never to be taken seriously for decades, and Iraq falls like Viet Nam. If we “stay the course” until we think Iraq can succeed on its own, the Iraqi government (which we put in place) will probably collapse from infighting or be overthrown by an opportunistic religious faction. Then we’ll be faced with a real threat where none existed before.

21-50 - out