Why am I not surprised?

From ABC News:

The Bush administration opposes a Democratic effort to restore full educational benefits for returning veterans, according to an official's comments last week.

Senate Democrats, led by Virginia's Jim Webb, want the government to pay every penny of veterans' educational costs, from tuition at a public university to books, housing and a monthly stipend.

Such a benefit was a major feature of the historic 1944 G.I. Bill, which put more than eight million U.S. soldiers through college and is now credited by historians as fueling the expansion of America's middle class in the post-war era.

I would argue that the GI Bill was one of the greatest pieces of legislation of the last century, and that had more impact on American's lives than almost any other.

Many of today's conservatives believe their parents pulled themselves up by their bootstraps to land themselves in the heart of the middle class. What they forget is that those were GI boots paid for by the government of the United States of America. Yes, I mean asshats like you Cal Thomas. Now that the middle class is again slipping away, I think the men and women who are fighting this war ought to at least have a promise of some security when they get home. On any given day in America there are more homeless veterans than there are veterans serving in the Gulf. (About 200,000 per day. As many as 400,000 at some point in a year).

The Administration is arguing that the cost of fully funding education for Afghan/Iraq war vets would be an additional $5.4 billion dollars.

This from the same people who sent $9 billion to Iraq --in cash --on pallets only to have it go missing. And they haven't even bothered to look for it.

Who are the members of this rogue's gallery?

Here they are, the ten democratic bastards that voted against H R 2956, the bill with the succinct title "To require the Secretary of Defense to commence the reduction of the number of United States Armed Forces in Iraq to a limited presence by April 1, 2008, and for other purposes". (Sometimes called just Responsible Redeployment from Iraq Act.) Jerks. D.I.N.O's. Traitors to the Grandma with a Gavel, Nancy Pelosi.

This is a collection of the most indigo of the blue dog democrats. I spit, pa-tooey, in their direction. I mean, guys, who doesn't want to bring the troops home?

Hold on there, a second. Who's that guy, second from the left, last row? Is that...Dennis Kucinich? Voting against a troop withdrawal? Talk about a gut punch, eh libby bloggers who just loooooooooove to push Dennis Kucinich as a presidential contender? Crazy talk. Why in the heat of hades would Dennis side with the republicans on this one?

Why indeed. Thanks to Ted Stevens' fantastical tubes, I can look up what the hell Kucinich's name was doing in a roll call with 190 sump'n people with -R's behind their names.

Here's what Mr. Elizabeth Kucinich says:

“This bill will not end the war. This bill will not end the occupation. It doesn’t take a vote to end this war. We must inform the Administration that the $97 billion appropriated last month is the end of the financing for the war.

“Use the money that’s in the pipeline through October 1 to bring the troops home. Compel the President to put together an international peacekeeping and security force which would move in as our troops leave.

“We could have our troops home by October 1. The question is whether we are ready to take a stand to do that, or whether we are going to vote on resolutions that give the American people the appearance that we want to end the war, without actually addressing the central issue that will end the war. Stop the funding.”

Oh.


So it is true. Kucinich has put himself way out there once again. He's no 'shit don't stink but their farts will give 'em away' democrat. Kucinich has got the shit.


For the record, Vic Snyder (third from the left, top row) voted against the resolution because he, too, feels the resolution was flawed. His statement is here.

On the other hand, John Barrow (the dork to the left of Snyder), Georgia, voted against because - and I am not making this up - "I think the timelines have to be the president’s" Aaaaaaarrrrgggghhhh.