Vets’ groups push for better GI Bill
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Apr 14, 2008 20:20:37 EDT
Two groups of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans have launched efforts to persuade more members of Congress to endorse a major increase in GI Bill benefits.
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, which claims about 85,000 members, is running full-page newspaper advertisements to get support for S 22, the 21st Century GI Bill, which would raise education benefits to fully cover the cost of tuition and fees at a four-year public college, plus pay a monthly stipend.
IAVA officials said the ads are targeted at five key lawmakers: Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Reps. Norman Dicks, D-Wash.; Jerry Lewis, R-Calif.; John Murtha, D-Penn.; and David Obey, D-Ohio.
The four representatives are all members of the House Appropriations Committee, which oversees federal spending.
Paul Rieckhoff, IAVA executive director, said the current GI Bill, with a maximum monthly benefit of $1,101, is “just a fraction” of the original post-World War II benefit that fully paid for college.
“Honoring our nation’s veterans is not a partisan issue,” Rieckhoff said in a statement. “Every lawmaker should stand with us to truly support America’s newest generation of heroes. Congress must pass a new GI Bill this year.”
Another group of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, members of VoteVets.Org., are targeting a single person — Arizona Sen. John McCain — to get his support for S 22.
go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/04/military_gibill_improvements_041408w/
Oh but wait. On the same page of Army Times there is this little bit of news on McCain;
McCain reveals confusion over Petraeus role
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Apr 14, 2008 17:58:09 EDT
Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain of Arizona may not have been paying the closest of attention last week during hearings on the Bush administration’s Iraq policy.
Speaking Monday at the annual meeting of the Associated Press, McCain was asked whether he, if elected, would shift combat troops from Iraq to Afghanistan to intensify the search for al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden.
“I would not do that unless Gen. [David] Petraeus said that he felt that the situation called for that,” McCain said, referring to the top U.S. commander in Iraq.
Petraeus, however, made clear last week that he has nothing to do with the decision. Testifying last week before four congressional committees, including the Senate Armed Services Committee on which McCain is the ranking Republican, Petraeus said the decision about whether troops could be shifted from Iraq to Afghanistan was not his responsibility because his portfolio is limited to the multi-national force in Iraq.
Decisions about Afghanistan would be made by others, he said.
“I’ve been sort of focused on another task,” Petraeus said when pressed about whether more troops should be diverted to Afghanistan rather than Iraq.
go here for more of thishttp://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/04/military_mccain_petraeus_041408w/
So it seems we have McCain running as a veteran who doesn't care about veterans when it comes to his votes, and now it seems he's running for the role of Commander-in-Chief without knowing that General Petraeus is not in charge of Afghanistan and in fact was not the boss of either operation. Admiral Mullen was.
Admiral Mullen reports for duty
By Derrick Z. Jackson, Globe Columnist October 2, 2007
WE HAVE a new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The question is: What will happen if he says something that the commander-in-chief does not want to hear?
Navy Admiral Mike Mullen yesterday replaced Marine General Peter Pace because Pace became too much a symbol of the Iraq quagmire. In June, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said he originally wanted to renominate Pace for another two years. But Gates determined that the nation would not have been served by a "divisive ordeal" of renomination hearings.
"The focus of his confirmation process would have been on the past rather than the future, and further, that there was the very real prospect the process would be quite contentious," Gates conceded.
Almost by default, Mullen was viewed in Washington as fresh air, unafraid to blow back at the hot air that got us into Iraq in the first place. So far, he does not appear to be a senseless cheerleader. In his July Senate confirmation hearing, he was pressed by South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham to "assess our likelihood of winning, given what you know now."go here for more of thisMullen listed seven mistakes. They were, as he wrote them:
"1) Did not fully integrate all elements of US national power in Iraq.
"2) Focused most attention on the Iraqi national power structures with limited, engagement of the tribal and local power structures.
"3) Did not establish an early and significant dialogue with neighboring countries, adding to the complex security environment a problematic border situation.
"4) Disbanded the entire Iraqi Army, a potentially valuable asset for security, reconstruction, and provision of services to the Iraqi people, providing a recruiting pool for extremist groups.
"5) Pursued a de-Ba'athification process that proved more divisive than helpful, created a lingering vacuum in governmental capability that still lingers, and exacerbated sectarian tensions.
"6) Attempted to transition to stability operations with an insufficient force.
"7) Unsuccessful in communicating and convincing Iraqis and regional audience of our intended goals."
Fallon resigned
Fallon resigns as chief of U.S. forces in Middle East
Story Highlights
Bush: "He deserves considerable credit for progress that has been made"
Defense Secretary Robert Gates says he accepts the resignation with regret
Gates says Fallon will be replaced by his deputy, Lt. Gen. Martin Dempsey
Fallon cites what he calls inaccurate news reports for decision to step aside
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Adm. William Fallon has resigned as chief of U.S. forces in the Middle East and Central Asia after more than a year in the post, citing what he called an inaccurate perception that he is at odds with the Bush administration over Iran.
Adm. William Fallon had been serving as chief of U.S. forces in the Middle East and Central Asia since 2007.
Fallon, the head of U.S. Central Command, was the subject of a recent Esquire magazine profile that portrayed him as resisting pressure for military action against Iran, which the Bush administration accuses of trying to develop nuclear weapons.
In a written statement, he said the article's "disrespect for the president" and "resulting embarrassment" have become a distraction.
"Although I don't believe there have ever been any differences about the objectives of our policy in the Central Command area of responsibility, the simple perception that there is makes it difficult for me to effectively serve America's interests there," Fallon said.
In Washington, Defense Secretary Robert Gates told reporters at the Pentagon that he accepted Fallon's resignation "with reluctance and regret."
But, he added, "I think it's the right decision." Watch why some believe Fallon was forced to resign »
"Admiral Fallon reached this difficult decision entirely on his own. I believe it was the right thing to do, even though I do not believe there are in fact significant differences between his views and administration policy," Gates said.
In a written statement, President Bush praised Fallon for helping "ensure that America's military forces are ready to meet the threats of an often troubled region of the world.
"He deserves considerable credit for progress that has been made there, especially in Iraq and Afghanistan."
Fallon, a 41-year veteran of the Navy, took over as chief of Central Command in early 2007. Gates said he will be replaced by Lt. Gen. Martin Dempsey, his deputy, who commanded an Army division in Iraq in the early days of the war and led efforts to train the Iraqi military.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/03/11/fallon.resigns/
And no, he is not in charge of Afghanistan either. The Canadian General is.
The Canadian general now in charge of coalition troops in Afghanistan is an experienced international peacekeeper who says this mission will focus on bringing peace and stability to the country.
Brig.-Gen. David Fraser took charge Tuesday of the multinational force, including 2,200 Canadians, that will patrol six provinces in the southern part of Afghanistan.
He applauded the work done by the U.S. Task Force Bayonet, and said his force would continue with humanitarian and reconstruction efforts.
"We're not going to fight unless we have to. My soldiers are trained to fight. But they're also trained in humanitarian assistance and peace support, and that's our focus," Fraser said in an interview with CTV's Lisa LaFlamme.
"And we're here to work with the Afghans, to work on those non-fighting aspects, because that's the road to success. That's the road in the future to provide hope and opportunity."
This brigade is taking over from the U.S.-led force, and eventually NATO's International Security Assistance Force will be in command of the region.
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/
CTVNews/20060228/david_fraser_060228/20060228?hub=TopStories
We can doubt that McCain knows anything about this either,
The U.S. government suspended, on March 27, 2008, AEY Inc. of Miami, Florida, a company hired by the U.S. military, for violating its contract. The company is accused of supplying ammunition, which was corroded and made in China from 1962 through 1974, to the Afghan National Army and police. United States Army-documents showed that since 2004 the company entered agreements with the U.S. government that totaled about $10 million. The papers also revealed the company struck it big in 2007 with contracts totaling more than $200 million to supply ammunition, assault rifles and other weapons. Army criminal investigators were sent to look at the packages in January 2008. The House Oversight Committee plans to hold a hearing into the matter on April 17, 2008. The 22-year-old international arms dealer Efraim Diveroli and president of AEY Inc will face a congressional inquiry
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_in_Afghanistan_(2001%E2%80%93present)
Or maybe he just forgot. While we did not hear from Mullen or Fallon, but we did hear from Pace and Petraeus. it makes the rest of us wonder what's up with all of this anyway. There is a lot that McCain gets wrong but given all that has happened he's been connected to, it must be easy to forget a lot of things that are not that important for him to remember. After all, there is only so much room in the mind of a senior citizen his age. As for the veteran's bill he hasn't signed, I bet he just forgot where he put his pen.
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