Tell McCain To Step Up on G.I. Bill

cross-posted at MyDD

Robert Lopez served 8 years in our military, fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan as a tank commander.  He was told he'd get his whole education bill paid for when he got out of the service. Mr. Lopez has fought and sacrificed for our country but like so many others, Mr. Lopez has faced the bleak reality of a government that has turned its back on its veterans.

That is why Senators Jim Webb and Chuck Hagel proposed a new GI Bill, which would bring back WWII-style standards of providing vets with full tuition, room and board.  And that is why 51 senators have signed on, including 9 Republicans like John Warner, giving this GI Bill tremendous bi-partisan support.

But it isn't enough.  Faced with unprecedented filibusters, the only way to ensure Senate passage of the GI Bill is to get 60 cosponsors. So far, John McCain has refused.  The same McCain who insists he supports our troops.  The same McCain who is voting lockstep with the Bush administration (who have also resisted this bill).  We need to get John McCain to do the right thing.  We need him to sign now and signal to other Republican leaders that we should be strongly behind our vets.

The original GI Bill transformed American history, providing education for returning soldiers. Not only was this our nation's moral duty for the unbelievable sacrifices of our World War II veterans, it helped create America's middle class and spurred decades of economic growth for our country.

That's why, today, we're launching this new web video with an accompanying petition, urging Senator McCain to step up and be a leader for veterans, by signing onto the GI Bill.

The burden of ensuring that our veterans get the education they were promised and earned largely sits on his shoulders.  If he won't stand up for the troops, he must explain why.

WesPAC, VoteVets and Brave New Films feel passionately about giving our veterans the support they rightly deserve. Our government owes our troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan the opportunity to receive full educational benefits.  These patriots have fought hard for our government; it's time our government started fighting hard for them.

Sign the petition to McCain here.

- Wes Clark, Jon Soltz and Robert Greenwald