The veterans group Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America released a "scorecard" today which gives letter grades to members of congress based on their voting record for veterans issues. Senator John McCain received a D, while Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. Joe Biden both received a B. According to the group's Website, the grades were based off of how many times a member of Congress voted along the same line as the IAVA's own position on 22 key votes affecting veterans (nine in the Senate and 13 in the House). From the IAVA:
From their flag lapel pins to their yellow ribbon bumper stickers,
every politician in America wants you to believe they “support the
troops.” But actions speak louder than words. When veterans’ issues
actually came to a vote in Washington, what did your representatives
do?...How did Congress do this year? Over all, they scored very well. From the passage of the landmark Post-9/11 GI Bill
to fully funding the Department of Veterans Affairs, we have tremendous
progress to celebrate this year. More than 150 legislators earned a
perfect score, a grade of A+.
The report also features a list of the best and worst voting records on such issues.
Despite Sen. Obama's decent grade on the IAVA's report card, another veterans group recently criticized his voting record and leadership skills with respect to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Vets for Freedom aired the TV ad below:
Prompted by the airing of this ad, the National Journal set out to separate fact from fiction among accusations issued by both McCain and Obama concerning their pro-troop voting records:
The accusation against Obama regarding troop funding came up in the first presidential debate,
where Obama defended his vote as a reflection on his position seeking a
timetable for withdrawal. "Senator McCain opposed funding for troops in
legislation that had a timetable, because he didn't believe in a
timetable," Obama pointed out. "I opposed funding a mission that had no
timetable, and was open-ended, giving a blank check to George Bush .
We had a difference on the timetable. We didn't have a difference on
whether or not we were going to be funding troops." Factcheck.org,
meanwhile, reported
in response to a McCain campaign ad released in July that while Obama
did cast one "no" vote on legislation providing money for combat
efforts, he voted at least 10 times in favor of increased funding.
As for the committee Obama chairs, it does not, in fact, have direct
oversight of the war in Afghanistan. The Senate Foreign Relations
Committee's Subcommittee on European Affairs does have jurisdiction
over NATO affairs, and NATO has played a large role in the conflict.
But hearings on Afghanistan have been held in front of the full Foreign
Relations Committee, headed by Obama's running mate, Joe Biden . ABC News reported
in July that Obama has attended one of the three full committee
hearings on Afghanistan held within the last two years, while McCain
has missed all three.
According to a recent Washington Post-ABC News poll, Iraq ranks third among issues registered voters are concerned about. The economy and jobs dominated as a top issue coming in with 52 percent. Health care came in second with nine percent, and Iraq third with six percent.
