With friends like Mark Green, our veterans don't need enemies

As a combat veteran, I am more than a little tired of politicians who run for office as great patriots because they are for war. That goes double for the Chicken Hawks who never served themselves but have no hesitation about sending someone else's kids off to war.

Which brings me to Congressman Mark Green, the non-veteran, founder of the Victory in Iraq caucus in the House of Representatives, the guy who says we shouldn't even talk about when we might bring our troops home, the guy who says things are going great in Iraq, and morale among the troops and the population is really high, but the news media never tell us the good news.

Granted, more US casualities, terrorist attacks and suicide bombings in that country, more than two years after President Bush declared victory, do seem more newsworthy to the media than the work our troops are doing to rebuild the country. That should come as no surprise.

A bigger surprise is how Green, who has visited Iraq himself a couple of times and presents himself as the troops' best buddy, has failed to support those troops.

Wisconsin has about 3,500 troops in Iraq and Afghanistan right now, and almost 500,000 veterans in the state, according to the VA and Defense Department.

Nationally, 500,000 veterans and members of the National Guard and Reserve are locked out of the VA health care system because of arbitrary enrollment requirements put in place by the Bush administration. That includes 7,937 in Wisconsin.

In Wisconsin, more than 3,000 veterans must pay the disabled vets' tax, which takes a dollar from their pensions for every dollar they receive in disability benefits.

There is a backlog of about 500,000 claims in Wisconsin, including those from veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. The average wait for disabled vets here to get a disability assessment is 167 days.

Against that backdrop, how has Veterans Champion Mark Green performed?

Here's what his campaign website says:

Supporting our Troops – In 2002, Mark Green cast his vote in favor of a bipartisan resolution authorizing the use of force against Iraq (H.J.Res. 114, President signed on 10/16/2002). Since that time he has consistently supported increased funding for our military – this includes higher pay, better armor, and the best equipment available for our brave men and women in uniform (H.R.1268, passed by House of Representatives on 3/16/2005). Mark Green has also visited Wisconsin troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, Walter Reed Medical Center and those home in Wisconsin.

That's really touching, but voting for the war and visiting the hospital should not be confused with supporting the troops.

Republican leaders have tried to cut health care benefits for our veterans, refused to expand health care for men and women in the National Guard and Reserves, and rejected measures to keep them safe when they are fighting overseas. Green has voted with the GOP every time.

When he's home for the August recess, traveling the state looking for votes for governor next year, veterans and their families might want to ask him about this record, although it pretty much speaks for itself:

Green Opposed Expanding TRICARE to National Guard & Reserve Volunteers. Green voted against expanding access to the military’s TRICARE health insurance program to all reservist and National Guard members. The proposal would have expanded military health care to provide access to members of the Guard and Reserve and their families for a low fee. [HR 1815, Roll Call #221, 5/25/05.]

Green Opposed $150 Million Increase for Military Personnel. In 2005, Green voted against a budget proposal to increase funding for military health care by $100 million and transitional job training for military personnel by $50 million. [HR 1268, Roll Call #76, 3/16/05.]
Green Voted Against Additional Job Assistance to Veterans Returning from Overseas. Green opposed efforts to provide extra job training assistance to veterans who are returning from overseas. Four out of 10 members of the Guard and Reserve forces lose income when they leave their civilian jobs for active duty, and many are self-employed or run small businesses. This means they face the daunting task of reestablishing their businesses after their release from active duty. [HR 27, Roll Call #47, 3/2/05; 109th Congressional Record, pg. H915, 3/2/05;109th Congressional Record, pg. H2074, 4/14/05]

Green Refused To Consider $2.6 Billion Increase in VA Health Care Funding. Green repeatedly voted to block efforts to increase VA funding by about $2.5 billion. Republicans finally admitted that they had underfunded veterans’ health care by $3.7 billion over the next two years. [H.R.2528, #223,5/26/05; H CON RES 95, #82, 3/17/05; H.J.Res. 107, #478, 9/29/04; Washington Post 6/24/05; AP 6/28/05] [Earlier post, "Green voted for vets' health care -- after he voted against it." ]