Kyl, McCain Obstruct Defense Bill, Then Dishonestly Blame Reid For Not Funding The Troops

[babylonsister]

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/07/18/kyl-mccain-dishonesty/

Kyl, McCain Obstruct Defense Bill, Then Dishonestly Blame Reid For Not Funding The Troops

Sens. John McCain (R-AZ) and Jon Kyl (R-AZ) raced to the television cameras this afternoon to offer hyperbolic attacks against Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, following Reid’s decision to pull the entire Defense Authorization bill from consideration. McCain and Kyl were quick to dishonestly politicize Reid’s maneuver, after obstructing passage of the bill over opposition to an Iraq redeployment amendment:

MCCAIN: What have we done by not passing the Defense Authorization bill? We are not allowing a 3 1/2 percent pay raise to men and women in the military. We’re not modernizing their equipment, including MRAP. We are not passing the wounded warriors legislation, which we all know is vitally needed to care for our wounded veterans. We have placed the care of our wounded veterans in a lower priority than a debate over Iraq.

KYL: It’s an act of petulance, it seems to me. But it’s also a very wreckless and irresponsible action because the troops depend upon the Defense Authorization bill passing. That’s what the bill authorizes…the care that they get, the weapons that they get, the training and all the other things they need to carry out the mission.

“It’s a commentary on where the priorities are of those who brought down this bill,” fumed McCain. “It clearly cannot be the welfare and benefit and arming and training of both of our active duty military and the medical care for our veterans,” he added. Watch it at link~

McCain and Kyl’s argument that Reid’s maneuver will deny pay raises, equipment, and medical care to American troops is false on its face. Here are the facts:

1) The troops have all the funding they need. The defense authorization bill being debated in the Senate is for fiscal year 2008, which begins on October 1. Funding for the troops — including emergency appropriations — has already been earmarked through September 30th, 2007.

2) Conservatives are responsible for stalling passage of the bill. While McCain claims that Reid “brought down this bill,” in fact, Reid only resorted to pulling the bill after McCain and other pro-war senators blustered and stalled, refusing to allow an up-down vote on the Levin-Reed Iraq redeployment amendment. In fact, in his floor speech this morning, Reid specifically names McCain as one of “a handful of dedicated obstructionists” using procedural moves to block the vote.

[Grandrose]

1. K&R

They have no shame!:mad: :kick:

[ComerPerro]

2. using repig logic from just three years ago, they are the ones refusing to fund our troops

remember back when they were in control, and a vote against funding that included handouts to thieves like Haliburton was considered treason. Fuck this "voting against a bad bill" bullshit they are pushing now. They shouldn't be able to get away with it.

But unfortunately, the media is bought and paid for, and the public is either happily swallowing the lies or too fucking stupid to know the difference.

[babylonsister]

7. They extend the argument that up is down, war is peace, black is

white...you get my drift.

[monmouth]

3. I'm glad I sent Sen. Reid a "thank you for all you do" letter....eom

[blogslut]

4. Oh, that's adorable!

Imagine those two cute old codgers a runnin' for the microphone - just like a slapstick picture show!

Back to reality. The pay raise that those tired old men are bemoaning is the very same pay raise Bush himself opposes. Even if the bill passed, the Decider would probably eliminate the pay raise with the scrawled "x" he applies to those (got to be illegal) singing statements.

[blondeatlast]

5. DUers--keep your eye on vile Kyl. He's a sneaky DeLay type who

flies below the radar.

[Disturbed]

6. McLame & Kyle are lying Assholes!

These two are the prime examples of how vile RWingers truly are.

[KAT119]

8. K&R-LET EVERYONE SEE WHO IS RESPONSIBLE!

[VP505]

9. I listened to about

15 seconds of that clap trap and changed channels, funny thing is I think we all knew they would do that NO MATTER how it went. As soon as I heard that the Den's had won a majority in the House and Senate last election it occurred to me that we could expect nothing but obstruction and unending whining and criticism from the Reich, sadly I was right.