Roads, High and Low

Until reading this article, I didn't know that last week, Obama and McCain had a sparring match on the issue of increasing college benefits for our military men and women. I had read a front-page story in Newsday last month about how our present G.I. Bill barely puts a dent in the costs of attending a four-year college, particularly a private one. Obama supports a bill that would increase the college tuition benefits for the men and women who've served post 9/11. McCain does not.

Obama called McCain out on this, and rightfully so. McCain's response was this: "I will not accept from Senator Obama, who did not feel it was his responsibility to serve our country in uniform, any lecture on my regard for those who did.”

So McCain's not only wrong on this issue, he's an asshole too. What does the matter of whether one served in the military or not remotely have to do with having a position, especially a favorable position, on the G.I. Bill? It's ironic, and more than a little typical, how someone who "didn't feel it was his responsibility to serve" supports stronger benefits and incentives for our servicemen and women, while the "military man", the "patriot", does not.

Also, in the runup to Iraq, McCain didn't feel at liberty to criticize the likes of Bush, Cheney, Rove, and all the other chickenhawks who didn't serve, but wanted to send people to die in Iraq. McCain keeps company with a bunch of people who didn't feel it was their responsibility to serve.