McCain Claims Obama Knows Less Than Zero About Military Affairs

John McCain and Barack Obama exchanged some shots over a G.I. Bill introduced to the Senate. The bill was sponsored by Virginia Democratic Sen. James Webb and Nebraska Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel, both military veterans, and it would expand educational benefits for military veterans. McCain opposes the bill, because he is a cosponsor of a different version of the bill that would require soldiers to have more time in the service to get full benefits and to encourage them to stay in the military as a career. The first version awards benefits after only three years of service and some feel it is to generous encouraging veterans to leave the service early. Obama and Hillary Clinton support the first version and attended the voting. Obama used his time on the Senate floor to take a shot at McCain. “I can’t understand why he (McCain) would line up behind the president in opposition to this GI Bill. I can’t believe why he believes it is too generous to our veterans. I could not disagree with him and the president more on this issue.” Obama said. “There are many issues that lend themselves to partisan posturing, but giving our veterans the chance to go to college should not be one of them.” McCain quickly responded in a statement from the campaign. “I will not accept from Senator Obama, who did not feel it was his responsibility to serve our country in uniform, any lectures on my regard for those who did,” McCain said. “Perhaps, if Senator Obama would take the time and trouble to understand this issue he would learn to debate an honest disagreement respectfully. But, as he always does, he prefers impugning the motives of his opponent, and exploiting a thoughtful difference of opinion to advance his own ambitions. If that is how he would behave as president, the country would regret his election.” Then McCain added, “It is typical, but no less offensive, that Senator Obama uses the Senate floor to take cheap shots at an opponent and easy advantage of an issue he has less than zero understanding of.” Then Obama’s camp responded to McCain’s response with a statement. “These endless diatribes and schoolyard taunts from the McCain campaign do nothing to advance the debate about what matters to the American people,” according to the statement released by the Obama campaign.
Alan Cosgrove