Gordon Smith's Record on Veterans' Issues

John McCain recently demonstrated how freely he will lie about his record on veterans' issues.  

He will lie right to a veteran's face, in fact.

What about his Oregon BFF, Senator Gordon Smith?

Smith has nothing to be proud of when it comes to his voting record on veterans' issues, either.

For example, Smith has an abysmal 40% rating from Disabled American Veterans.

How did those votes break down?  

1. Thune Amdt. No. 3704; To provide, with an offset, $20,000,000 for the Department of Veterans Affairs for Medical Facilities (05/04/2006, Roll Call No. 111) SMITH VOTED NO

2. Akaka Amdt. No. 3642 as Amended; To provide an additional $430,000,000 for the Department of Veteran Affairs for Medical Services for outpatient care and treatment for veterans (04/26/2006, Roll Call No. 98)  SMITH VOTED YES

3. Stabenow Amdt No. 3141; To provide an assured stream of funding for veteran's health care (03/16/2006, Roll Call No. 63)  SMITH VOTED NO

4. Burns Amdt. No. 2999; To provide increased funding for veterans health programs, and to negate the need for enrollment fees and increase in pharmacy co-payments (03/14/2006, Roll Call No. 40)  SMITH VOTED YES

5. Akaka Amdt. No. 3007; To increase Veterans medical services funding by $1.5 billion in FY 2007 to be paid for by closing corporate tax loopholes (03/14/2006, Roll Call No. 41) SMITH VOTED NO

It's always the same BS with these two-faced losers (I want to/do support the troops, just not this bill...):

Pressure had mounted on McCain to support the [Webb G.I.] bill — a veterans group, which backs the legislation, delivered a petition to McCain's Senate office, signed by 30,000 veterans.

Officials in charge of Pentagon personnel worry that a more generous and expansive GI Bill would create an incentive for troops to get out of the military and go to college.

...

"We are working on proposals of our own — I'm a consistent supporter of educational benefits for the men and women of the military," McCain said.  ... I've talked a lot about veterans' health care, so we'll continue to talk about those issues and how to care for vets. I know I can do that, having been one."

How awful!  Sending our kids to college instead of sending them to be slaughtered in Iraq for oil!  Damn you straight to hell, John McCain.  Meanwhile, you give your spoiled party-girl daughter $50,000 to blow through every month.  Has she ever spent one minute or one dollar on a care package for the troops?

Gordon Smith tries to pull the exact same crap:

DSCC Release: SMITH SIDES WITH BUSH, AGAINST SUPPORTING VETERANS

Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
For Immediate Release
November 7, 2007

SMITH SIDES WITH BUSH, AGAINST SUPPORTING VETERANS

Votes for blank check in Iraq, but against benefits for servicemen and women

Oregon Senator Gordon Smith today voted to strip veterans funding at a time when our servicemen and women are facing ever greater difficulties at home. Preventing veterans funding from reaching President Bush’s desk would shield the president from vetoing another popular bill on the heels of his veto of children’s health insurance.

“Gordon Smith is playing politics with our veterans, plain and simple,” DSCC spokesman Matthew Miller said. “Smith writes a blank check for our failed strategy in Iraq one day, and pulls the purse strings closed on our veterans the next. Come next November, the hundreds of thousands of veterans in Oregon along with their friends, families and communities, will remember how Gordon Smith turned his back on them today.”

Smith Voted To Block Veterans Funding.

Smith put his loyalty to Bush ahead of his loyalty to veterans by voting to block veterans funding from going to the President’s desk, even though he supported the bill earlier.
[Senate vote 316, 9/6/07; Senate vote 404, 11/7/07]

Smith Turned His Back On Hundreds Of Thousands Of Oregon Veterans.

There are currently 350,730 veterans in Oregon, and 19,536 Oregonians have been deployed in support of United States military operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and the global war on terrorism. Smith turned his back on all these servicemen and women by voting against this vital legislation.
[Census Bureau, Department of Defense, CTS Deployment File as of July 31, 2007]

Smith Voted Against Historic Funding For Nation’s Veterans.

The bill provides almost $88 billion for the Veterans Administration, the biggest increase ever, including $37 billion - $2.6 billion more than the President requested -- for veterans’ health. The bill includes funding to hire 1,800 new claims processors to help address the backlog of 400,000 unprocessed claims. To address horrific problems exposed by the Walter Reed scandal, the bill provides $1.2 billion for construction and maintenance of VA hospitals and clinics.
[House Appropriations Committee, 11/6/07; CQ House Action Report, 11/6/07]

Bill Needed Now More Than Ever As Veterans Suffer Unnecessarily.

A study from Harvard Medical School researchers found that there were 1.8 million uninsured veterans in 2004, and that their ranks were growing twice as fast as the population at large. Far too many veterans are living on the streets; an estimated 500 to 1000 veterans of Afghanistan and Iraq are homeless. Delays by the VA in processing disability claims stretch nearly six months, and appeals are dragged out nearly two years. Facilities problems go way beyond Walter Reed as widespread maintenance problems such as mold, leaky roofs, and rodents abound throughout VA facilities.

[USA Today, 10/31/07, Newsweek, 3/21/07, AP, 9/19/07; AP, 3/13/07, AP, 3/21/07]

###

Yes, when we are spending $12 billion per month on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, we can hardly spare a few hundred million to care for injured veterans!  Sickening.

And then there's this:

Smith Has Voted Against Veterans’ Health Care Programs At Least 20 Times. During his Senate career, Smith has voted against funding for veterans’ health care programs at least 20 times, including four votes against veterans’ health care just last year.

[Vote #63, 3/16/06; Vote #41, 3/14/06; Vote #15, 2/13/06; Vote #7, 2/2/06; Vote #251, 10/5/05; Vote #242, 9/22/05; Vote #89, 4/12/05; Vote #90, 4/12/05; Vote #81, 3/17/05; Vote #114, 4/28/05; Vote #55, 3/16/05; Vote #145, 6/23/04; Vote #48, 3/11/04; Vote #40, 3/10/04; Vote #34, 3/9/04; Vote #379, 10/14/03; Vote #83, 3/25/03; Vote #74, 3/21/03; Vote #84, 4/6/01; Vote #243, 7/30/99]

Plus there are all of Smith's votes in support of the war.   If he had not made those bad decisions, and enabled Bush's wars, we would not be faced now with the the large number of veterans who are in need of medical care and educational benefits.  Smith likes to do that - cause the problem, then sweep in as the "hero" after the fact with a few dollars here and there. He followed this same MO for the Klamath salmon fish kill.

Few can top McCain and Smith when it comes to being smarmy politicians.  They can try to push their "only Republicans support the troops" propaganda all they want - in Oregon we know better.