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Jun-20-2008 13:12TweetFollow @OregonNews Bush Changes Position, G.I. Bill Now Moving Toward Full AcceptanceTim King Salem-News.comBush is known for hanging onto his bad policies and decisions with a death grip. But in this unusual reversal of opinion, he withdrew his long-held objections to a new G.I. Bill that would adequately fund the cost of a public college education for today's veterans.
(SALEM, Ore.) - The Bush Administration has abandoned its determined efforts to block and veto the implementation of a new G.I. Bill that would aid Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. Bush was unflinching in his position earlier; saying the bill that would have allowed veterans to attend college was just too expensive. It was nearly perverse when considering the sacrifice these men have exhibited in the present conflicts overseas. There are no references to the matter plainly visible on whitehouse.gov, where the President could tout his turnabout. Instead, story names like "Press Gaggle" and "In Focus: Freedom Agenda" and "Presidential Message, Juneteenth 2008" are visible. What the heck is Juneteenth anyway? It all came down two days ago, on June 18th, when a critical agreement was reached between leadership in the House of Representatives and the White House on the fate of the war funding bill. Bush's threat to veto the bill to help veterans was ever present until this new development. It isn't often that Bush flip flops. Instead he is known for hanging onto his bad policies and decisions with a death grip. But in this unusual reversal of opinion, Bush withdrew his long-held objections to a new G.I. Bill that would adequately fund the cost of a public college education for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. Salem-News.com's Dr. Phil Leveque is a WWII veteran and a member of what is known as "The Greatest Generation"- a reputation that exists in part, because of the massive number of vets who received educations under the G.I. Bill then. (see: G.I. Bill 1944: The Best U.S. Investment Ever for The Greatest Generation) The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America have been holding their course in hopes of seeing the bill gain acceptance. Thursday was a major victory for this group. "By an overwhelming margin of 416-12, the House of Representatives voted in favor of a domestic spending provision of the war supplemental funding bill which includes a World War II-style GI Bill for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. This version of the bill was agreed upon by the House leadership and the White House in a deal brokered last night. Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) applauds the extraordinary support that both Democrats and Republicans have shown for this critical legislation and the progress we've seen in the past 24 hours." They say this Sunday marks 64 years since President Roosevelt signed the original GI Bill into law and made education affordable for eight million World War II veterans. "Thanks to the accord reached between House leadership and the White House, there is now a real chance that we could see a new GI Bill signed within days of this anniversary," said Paul Rieckhoff, Executive Director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. "IAVA is grateful to Congress and the President for putting partisan differences aside for the sake of our troops. We are arriving at a truly historic moment and we call on Congress and the White House to continue moving the G.I. Bill forward. We are poised to make history once again and create the next ‘Greatest Generation.' IAVA would like to thank its tens of thousands of supporters nationwide for their tireless efforts in the fight for a new GI Bill." The next and presumably last step in the fight for the G.I. Bill will be for the Senate to sign off on this version of the supplemental and move the legislation to the president's desk. Pictures from Afghanistan by Tim King: View Photos From Tim King's time in Afghanistan | More Afghanistan War photos Articles for June 19, 2008 | Articles for June 20, 2008 | Articles for June 21, 2008 | Quick Links
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Henry Ruark June 26, 2008 11:54 am (Pacific time)
To all: Never forget that in complex world of D.C. "get along", with corporate cash clearly considerable and deeply considered allatime, the very obvious trade-offs from one bill in work for another are far from obvious, someimes even to those involved. But do not be conned into thinking those really in charge do not know, plan, plot and pay off to make sure it happens that way, and continues so to do. One has to have "been there, done that" for true depth and depressing truth to be well known and understood, as in WHAT HAPPENED and countless other similar revolting reports from insiders.
Henry Ruark June 21, 2008 11:24 am (Pacific time)
To all: URL for TPR is: www.publicrecord.org.
Henry Ruark June 21, 2008 9:34 am (Pacific time)
To all: Parry broke Iran/Contra story for AP and other leading media channels. Here's his re Pelosi and Dems non-action: Democrats Have Legalized Bush's War Crimes By Robert Parry, Media Consortium Posted on June 21, 2008, http://www.alternet.org/story/88950/ House Speaker Nancy Pelosi claims that a key positive feature of the new wiretap "compromise" is that the bill reaffirms that the President must follow the law, even though the same bill virtually assures that no one will be held accountable for George W. Bush's violation of the earlier spying law. Share this article In other words, in the guise of rejecting Bush's theories of an all-powerful presidency that is above the law, the Democratic leadership cleared the way for the President and his collaborators to evade punishment for defying the law. So, why should anyone assume that the new legislative edict demanding that the President obey the law will get any more respect than the old one, which established the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 as the "exclusive" means for authorizing electronic spying? It wasn't that Bush and his team didn't understand the old law's language; they simply believed they could violate the law without consequence, under the radical theory that at a time of war -- even one as vaguely defined as the "war on terror" -- the President's powers trump all laws as well as the constitutional rights of citizens. Essentially, Bush was betting that even if his warrantless wiretap program was disclosed -- as it was in December 2005 -- that he could trust his Republican congressional allies to protect him and could count on most Democrats not to have the guts to challenge him." =================== So far, surely doth appear he was right on that bet... Proof he was --and remains-- "wrong" demands Pelosi now pay attention to rising piles of evidence proving up necessity now for impeachment process to clear way for the ONLY clean remediation of our democracy, per prescience of the Founders themselves.
Henry Ruark June 21, 2008 9:14 am (Pacific time)
To all: Here's "see with own eyes" authoritative documentation for New Gi Bill comment above: TPR: The Public Record Democrats Hoyer, Pelosi Hand White House Sweeping Legislative Victories Posted: 20 Jun 2008 When Democrats regained control of Congress for the first time in 12 years in November 2006, Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi explained the significance behind the record voter turnout that helped shift the balance of power in Washington. “People voted for change and they voted for Democrats who will take our country in a new direction,” Pelosi said during a victory speech in San Francisco on Nov. 8, 2006. Pelosi, a San Francisco Democrat who became the first female Speaker of the House, never managed to exact the type of change she promised her supporters. In a one-two punch Thursday and Friday, Democrats, led by Pelosi and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, gave the Bush administration sweeping new domestic spy powers, immunized telecom companies that participated in possibly illegal surveillance of American citizens, and agreed to further fund the occupation of Iraq with a promise to the White House that the final bill would not include benchmarks or timetables for withdrawal. The Senate is expected to vote on both bills next week. The passage of both bills will put to rest months of partisan bickering and guarantees that the issue won’t pop up during the height of the presidential campaign in the fall. President Bush said he would sign both pieces of legislation into law when they cross his desk. The passage of the emergency supplemental bill to continue military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan took place less than 24-hours before former White House press secretary Scott McClellan testified before the House Judiciary Committee, where he told lawmakers that the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003 was based largely on phony intelligence that was used by the Bush administration to win support for the war. McClellan’s testimony Friday was actually interrupted at one point so Judiciary Committee members could vote on an overhaul to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). That measure was brokered over the past two weeks by Pelosi and Hoyer despite a public outcry that the plan gave the White House far more powers than it was seeking." Pelosi's actions to assist Bush/continuance and protect him from consequences of those actions is now drawing close examination by many observers. Much more detail in original highly relevant to New GI Bill, how McClellan hearing is being handled, et al, et al. Where else do you get "see with own eyes", then "use own mind" to evaluate our reports here ??
Henry Ruark June 21, 2008 8:42 am (Pacific time)
To all: "Good news" from Bush never cometh without bad-stuff close to follow...proof highly evident over past eight years. Let's find out first what was given/away to get Bush okay, before we signal any signs of victory. Pelosi-stand for "off the table" on impeachment makes any and all further actions in her regime questionable; no way this could happen without her involvement. Watch for pay/off hidden in something/else/somewhere/else well out of ordinary sight. That's how it is done, via two-way schemers when heat comes on process, as per the WHAT HAPPENED book and current hearings with McClellan's on-every-point backup for what the book states clearly for anyone to see and understand. Key will now be Senate-scene where we have some strong AND true/bipartisan support for what this new GI Bill should, could and surely MUST do for THIS generation of badly, sadly war-diminished/damaged young Americans.
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