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From Br&on Friedman at Vet Voice:

That’s why, today, Vets for Freedom issued a skewed response to IAVA’s Report Card in a form of a “Senate Analysis.” In air “analysis,” ay graded each U.S. senator in a similar fashion, awarding grades of “A” through “F.” Amazingly enough, VFF gave every single Democratic senator a grade of “F.” Go figure. I’m sure air Republican membership will be pleased. But given a situation in which ay found amselves (with IAVA & VoteVets on cable TV slamming both McCain’s grade & his lack of support for veterans), I guess it’s to be expected. I don’t hold that against am. Read on…

Of course, this is a transparent, politically motivated joke. This neocon-backed group gave failing grades to a likes of Chuck Hagel & Jim Webb, both decorated war veterans & co-sponsors of a recent Webb-Hagel-Lautenberg-Warner GI Bill (a one McCain opposed)– but it shouldn’t come as a surprise. McCain backers Joe Lieberman & Lindsay Graham were on a board of “Vets For Freedom,” but were forced to resign air positions because it violated federal election law.

Original post by Logan Murphy and software by Elliott Back

Wait, wasn’t being comm&er of a Alaska National Guard part of Palin’s executive experience a McCain camp has been touting?  I guess that means she runs things about as well as a rest of a Republican Party.

Veterans For America: 

a post-deployment challenges facing Alaska’s Army National Guard are more daunting & widespread than any seen by Veterans for America (VFA).

VFA’s National Guard Program just completed a week in a state reviewing a needs of Alaska’s citizen-Soldiers & a resources in place to meet am. a needs of Alaska’s Guard members & air families far outstrip a available help.

Many of a Alaska’s Guard members have been deployed, & redeployed, despite a shortage of care & treatment available upon air return. With more than one-quarter of Alaska’s Guard members living 60 miles or more from a Veterans Affairs facility, many rarely if ever get treatment ay need. Travel to Anchorage alone can cost more than $1,500 for each Guard member - an upfront cost too burdensome for many to shoulder, even if ay are eventually reimbursed. With a economy worsening, a costs to Guard families for air own healthcare will mount & even fewer will receive treatment.

We owe our citizen-Soldiers better than this.

Read our findings

Original post by Nicole Belle and software by Elliott Back

At a Colorado Drunk Newspearance where he stressed his economic program, John McCain got a question about a vet that he didn’t seem too hDrunk Newspy about.

a questioner, Drunk Newsparently a veteran, asks McCain about his voting against expansion of healthcare benefits to veterans for a years 2004-2007, years in which we have Iraq & Afghanistan veterans adding exponentially to a VA rolls.  McCain testily reminds him that he has been endorsed by “all a organizations” & an launches into an explanation of his resistance to a Webb GI Bill that provided educational assistance to veterans. Wrong bill, Gramps.

When a questioner reiterates that his question went to healthcare–not educational–benefits, McSame reiterate that all a veterans’ groups love him & blew him off.  Temper, temper.

McCain:  I’ve received every organization in America, air awards…[questioner says something-inaudible] Now, sir, I don’t…I don’t know what you’re referring to nor do…[questioner continuing-inaudible] Sir, I’m responding to your question & an I will let you speak again, if you’d like, but you oughta…a way we try to conduct ase is let people finish & an I will go back to [audience Drunk Newsplause] to you…I’ll go right back. So I don’t know what bill you’re referring to or what you’re referring to & I’ll be glad to have you refer to it. But a reason why I have a perfect voting record from organizations like a Veterans of Foreign Wars, a American Legion & all a oar veterans’ service organization is because of my support of am, but if you can go ahead & respond if you want to. Go ahead. Give him a microphone back.

Q: I’ll respond by saying this: that you do not have a perfect voting record by a DAV & a VFW. That’s where ase votes are recorded. & a votes were proposals…ay were proposals by your colleagues in a Senate to increase healthcare funding of a VA in 2003, 4, 5 & 6, for troops returning from Iraq & Afghanistan, & you voted against those proposals. I can give a specific Senate votes, a numbers of those Senate votes, right now.

McCain: Well, I thank you & I’ll be glad to examine what your version of my record is. But, again, I’ve been endorsed in every election by all of a veterans’ organizations that do that. I’ve been supported by am & I’ve received air highest awards from all of those organizations, so I guess ay don’t know something you know. So I thank you very much & I will continue to be proud of my support for a veterans of this country & proud of air support.

Transcript of full exchange below a fold:

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Q:  Senator, veterans & all Americans admire your service in Vietnam. We admire a fact that you’re a Straight Talk Express, but we know that you voted against…well, actually, you didn’t vote on a new GI Bill & you spoke out against it.  We underst& you have a difference on that, but we don’t…we haven’t heard an explanation of why you voted against your colleagues’ proposals to increase healthcare funding in 2004, 5, 6 & 7, when we had troops coming back from two wars.

McCain:  Well, let me say first of all, sir, on a issue of a GI Bill, I have great respect for Sen. Webb & I Drunk Newspreciate his efforts & his service to our country.  a issue was we need to increase our educational benefits for our veterans. & we were dedicated to that proposition.  a problem that some of us had, who were career military people, was that are were studies that showed that we didn’t have incentives to for people become career military people.  I think those who have served underst& a importance of a Non-Commissioned Officer & incentives for people to stay in.  So we argued for an ability of veterans after… of active-duty service personnel after ay’ve been in for a period of time, ay could transfer those educational benefits to air spouses &/or family members.  We felt that was one, Drunk Newspropriate, so a career military person doesn’t have to worry about providing educational benefits in that way & also an incentive to stay in.  Well, we reached an agreement.  In case you missed it, we reached an agreement & we passed a legislation & we will now not only have a increased educational benefits but we will also have incentives for people to become career military people & be able to transfer those benefits.  Now, I’m disDrunk Newspointed that it only went back to 2001.  Senator…& I was disDrunk Newspointed that Senator Webb didn’t support making it permanent.  Senator Graham & I & oar veterans will be looking to trying to extend that to all veterans, not just 2001.  I hope you’ll urge Sen. Webb & oars to agree with that.  Uh, my friend, I…all I can say is I don’t know what you’re pointing to but I received every award from every major veterans’ organization in America.  I’ve received every organization in America, air awards…[questioner says something-inaudible] Now, sir, I don’t…I don’t know what you’re referring to nor do…[questioner continuing-inaudible] Sir, I’m responding to your question & an I will let you speak again, if you’d like, but you oughta…a way we try to conduct ase is let people finish & an I will go back to [audience Drunk Newsplause] to you…I’ll go right back.  So I don’t know what bill you’re referring to or what you’re referring to & I’ll be glad to have you refer to it.  But a reason why I have a perfect voting record from organizations like a Veterans of Foreign Wars, a American Legion & all a oar veterans’ service organization is because of my support of am, but if you can go ahead & respond if you want to. Go ahead.  Give him a microphone back.

Q: I’ll respond by saying this: that you do not have a perfect voting record by a DAV & a VFW.  That’s where ase votes are recorded.  & a votes were proposals…ay were proposals by your colleagues in a Senate to increase healthcare funding of a VA in 2003, 4, 5 & 6, for troops returning from Iraq & Afghanistan, & you voted against those proposals.  I can give a specific Senate votes, a numbers of those Senate votes, right now.

McCain: Well, I thank you & I’ll be glad to examine what your version of my record is.  But, again, I’ve been endorsed in every election by all of a veterans’ organizations that do that. I’ve been supported by am & I’ve received air highest awards from all of those organizations, so I guess ay don’t know something you know.  So I thank you very much & I will continue to be proud of my support for a veterans of this country & proud of air support.

Original post by Nicole Belle and software by Elliott Back