The Son of George Bush has asked Congressional Democrats to send him a Veterans' spending bill to commemorate Veterans' Day. The snippets we hear from the Oval Office sound good. His request makes it sounds like he wants to help Vets. His request seems to chide Congress for not doing enough to help Vets.
Let's take a look behind his gamesmanship.
A Veterans spending bill is currently in Congress. It proposes to add $3.7 billion more than Mr. Bush himself proposed in his own 2008 budget for the Department of Veterans Affairs. The monies from Congress would ease waiting times for VA health benefits and add money to treat post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries for veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Mr. Bush isn't interested in this bill - why? Because it is part of a larger spending bill that seeks to increase not only the VA's budget, but other Federal Agencies as well.
The Democrat-controlled Congress has done more for Vets than nearly any other Congress in recent memory. In February 2007, the Democratic Congress added $3.4 billion to the VA coffers. In May 2007, Democrats added another $1.8 billion to the Dept of Veterans' Affairs.
It seems clear that the Son of George Bush is up to his usual game - paying lip service to our veterans and soldiers while doing nothing to actually help their situation.
Happy Veterans' Day, Mr. Bush! Enjoy your comfortable, plush, and safe surroundings in Crawford - brought to you courtesy of the sacrifices of the American soldier.
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