He was all over but where wasn't he?
Tuesday was a primary and, so wiped out was he from losing Indiana and winning North Carolina, he had to have a day of relaxation. Good thing he's a candidate without any responsiblities, right?
Oh, wait, he does have responsibilities. But Wednesday was his day of rest.
Hope nothing that required his presence was going on.
Let's see, Wednesday? Well the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs was addressing veterans' benefits. The Democrats have seven senators that sit on the committee. There's chair Daniel Akaka, John D. Rockefeller, Patty Murray, Jim Webb, Sherrod Brown, Jon Tester and, yes, Barack. How nice of him, considering his already lousy record of attendance, to blow off yet another committee meeting. It was more important to Barack, who was only sworn in as Senator back in January 2005, to take a day of rest than to take the time to do fulfill his Senate business. So nice of him to send the message to veterans that, if they vote for him, he may get to work on their issues but, right now, he's got so many more important things to do.
If, like Barack, you missed the hearings, you can excuse yourself with the fact that (a) you weren't elected to the Senate and appointed to that committee and (b) it's not like the press bothered to cover it.
As Patty Murray noted, the hearing followed on the heels of Tuesday's House Committee on Veterans Affairs "The Truth About Veterans Suicides," examining the VA's cover up of the rates of suicide. She stated she was "greatly concerned about the transperancy and truthfulness of the Department." We'll assume Barack was less so -- judging by his absence. (Though we're sure the same ones insisting Barack was against the 2007 Iran resolution despite the fact that he didn't vote against it -- and co-sponsored a similar resolution -- will also create an excuse for his lasest AWOL episode.)
They had a lot to discuss, as Chair Akaka noted:
First, S. 2617, the "Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2008" would increase the rates of compensation for veterans with service-connected disabilities and the rates of dependency and indemnity compensation for the survivors of certain disabled veterans, among other benefits, effective December 1st of this year.
Many of the more than three million recipients of these benefits depend upon the tax-free payments not only to provide for their own basic needs, but for the needs of their families as well. Without an annual COLA increase, these veterans and their families would see the value of their hard-earned benefits slowly diminish. We, as a Congress, would also be in dereliction of our duty to ensure that those who sacrificed so much for this country receive the benefits and services to which they are entitled.
S.2309, the proposed "Compensation for Combat Veterans Act," would ease the evidentiary requirements facing veterans who file claims for disabilities incurred while serving in a combat zone. During oversight visits to regional offices, Committee staff has identified a number of cases where service medical records of veterans serving in combat areas are missing. Discussions with physicians who have served in those areas confirm that records are not always made or maintained. As a result, combat veterans have had claims denied or unduly delayed. This bill would result in faster and more accurate decisions.
The "Veterans' Rating Schedule Review Act", S. 2737, addresses the authority of Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. This legislation would give veterans a legal recourse to challenge portions of the rating schedule that fail to conform to the law.
S. 2825, the "Veterans' Compensation Equity Act" would provide a minimum disability rating for veterans receiving medical treatment for a service-connected disability. In the course of its oversight work, Committee staff has found a great deal of inconsistency in the ratings assigned to veterans with minor, but chronic conditions. This bill would ensure that any veteran requiring continuous medication or the ongoing use of an adaptive device, such as a hearing aid, would receive at least a 10 percent rating for that disability, entitling them to a minimum level of compensation.
In the area of readjustment benefits, I have introduced two bills that would help servicemembers and veterans return to their civilian lives. S. 2471, the "USERRA Enforcement Improvement Act of 2007", which I co-authored with Senator Kennedy, would strengthen the employment and reemployment rights of returning servicemembers by imposing compliance deadlines on federal agencies. It would also implement measures to reduce inefficiencies and improve the information collected by the government on USERRA compliance.
S. 2864, the "Training and Rehabilitation for Disabled Veterans Enhancement Act of 2008", would improve VA's Independent Living program, which serves veterans whose disabilities render them unable to work. The bill would eliminate the annual cap on the number of enrollees in the program and shift the program from a discretionary pilot initiative to a mandatory program. It would also make improvement in quality of life -- an explicit objective of training and rehabilitation services of the Independent Living program.
Finally, I have introduced two complimentary bills that would improve the opportunities available to veterans for home ownership. The first bill, S. 2768, would temporarily increase the maximum loan amount for certain VA-guaranteed home loans. The second bill, S. 2961, would raise the maximum guaranty limit on refinance loans and decrease the equity requirement for those who want to refinance to a VA-backed loan.
As is the case every Session, the biggest hurdle for implementation of these bills into law is cost. I am working to find appropriate offsets within the Committee's jurisdiction.
Finally, I am pleased to see S. 22 back on the agenda this morning. I have worked hard with Senator Webb to develop this proposal, and I believe that the measure as we have it before us this morning is a good one. I am certain that it would not only be a vastly improved readjustment benefit for our newest generation of veterans but it also gives the armed forces a valuable recruitment and retention tool. As one of the 8 million veterans who attended school on the original GI Bill after World War II, I am committed to seeing that this legislation go forward.
And the VA was stalling, claiming they didn't have time for this to be reviewed or that to be reviewed. The big issue was Webb's proposal (S-22) of education benefits for veterans. Though widely supported, the VA and Senator Lindsey Graham were attempting to derail it. Maybe Barack should have been there?
Friday morning, Paul Kane (Washington Post) would report that House "Blue Dog Democrats" were citing veterans education benefits in the war supplemental as their reason for not supporting it: "The Blue Dogs have objected to the creation of a program that would guarantee veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan a year of in-state college tuition for each year served in the war zones."
Maybe Barack should have used that 'rock star' presence to draw attention to the issue by showing up for the Wednesday hearing he was supposed to attend? Maybe veterans benefits are a little more important than whether or not he has bags under his eyes? (Were we him, we'd worry more about the thinning hair in the last months.)
When did he decide that he could take personal time? He certainly didn't tell voters in 2004, "Vote for me and I guarantee I will take all the days I need to be rested. I guarantee you that I will miss hearings but I will be rested."
On his Senate website, the veterans page, the bragging never ends: "As a member of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, Senator Obama is committed to helping the heroes who defend our nation today and the veterans who fought in years past." Committed? He skipped the hearing.
August 21, 2007, in Kansas, he was declaring and promising, "Keeping faith with those who serve must always be a core American value and a cornerstone of American patriotism. Because America's commitment to its servicemen and women begins at enlistment, and it must never end." How did he keep faith by skipping the hearing? We believe his own commitment to service members ended Wednesday so he could take a personal day. That speech was titled "A Sacred Trust" and, apparently, the subtitle was "except on days when I need my rest."
Barack Obama offers up a lot of Pretty Words. He offered them up when running for the Senate as well. But words without action is all they are. He says he wants to serve the country as president but he's still not serving the people he pledged to serve in Illinois if they would only send him to the Senate. His Senate website asserts, "Illinois has a large proportion of aging veterans. Unfortunately, Illinois ranked 50 out of 53 states and territories in disability benefits for at least 20 years." Unfortunately the senator who still hasn't completed his first term can't even attend hearings on veterans benefits.
Pretty words aren't actions.