John Cornyn Flip-Flops on GI Bill, then Takes Credit for It

by: Brandon Friedman

Mon Jun 23, 2008 at 22:20:54 PM EDT

Then, when it came time for the vote two days later, Cornyn still chose to vote against the amendment--and against the troops.

After the vote, Cornyn was taken to task by his Democratic opponent--Afghanistan veteran Rick Noriega.  This is what Noriega had to say in the Houston Chronicle:

Today is Memorial Day, and I can think of no more fitting tribute to commemorate those who serve in the armed forces than the ratification of this new GI Bill.
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Unfortunately, my opponent, Sen. John Cornyn, failed to stand up for our troops. Cornyn was one of only 22 senators to vote against the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Act, continuing his history of turning his back on veterans. Adding insult to injury, Cornyn went so far as to condone and encourage a presidential veto of the bill. Webb's GI Bill passed with the support of 75 senators, including Texas' senior Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison.

Texas needs two senators fighting for our veterans and our families. It is reprehensible that Cornyn supports keeping our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan but refuses to provide for our soldiers once they return home. As a public servant, as a soldier and as a Texan, I am ashamed of Cornyn's continued efforts to deny our troops the benefits they earned defending the United States.

Sen. Cornyn argues that financing higher education for veterans would encourage soldiers to leave the military to attend college. The notion that we should limit benefits to force our troops to stay in the military is morally repugnant. The knowledge I gained while attending college is instrumental in the work I do as a member of the Texas House of Representatives and as a lieutenant colonel in the Texas Army National Guard. I believe that higher education should be a reality for any American who wants it, and I am disheartened by Cornyn's desire to deny this valuable right to the honorable men and women of the armed forces. A stronger GI Bill will help military recruitment, attracting America's most capable and gifted volunteers to the military during a time when we need more troops than ever.

Senator Cornyn then tried to weasel his way out of it by responding in a letter to say that he voted against the Webb-Hagel bill because he instead supported the largely-ignored-sham McCain bill--a bill that

would help in retaining volunteers, while the Webb bill would undercut that effort. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the Webb bill would cause a 16 percent reduction in re-enlistment rates, seriously depleting our trained forces and overtaxing further those who remain.

This statement was total spin on Cornyn's part, and it was completely debunked by none other than the Congressional Budget Office.  Nevertheless, many chickenhawks like Cornyn promoted the false idea that the Webb bill would somehow hurt retention.

Fortunately, however, Congress reached a compromise last week--one that even President Bush said he would sign.  In return for no more resistance to the new GI Bill, Republicans insisted that the ability to transfer GI Bill benefits to family members be added to Webb's bill.  It was a way for Republicans to gracefully accept defeat, while at the same time still being able to claim that their "concerns" over retention had been met.  Though transferability is a fantastic addition to the bill, it was added at the last minute as a face-saving device for people like John Cornyn.

Transferability was never the reason for which Cornyn had opposed the new bill in the first place.  If it had been, people like Cornyn would have simply told Webb to add it, and then he'd have their support.  But they never did that.  Not until they knew they were about to lose.

Which brings us to today.  This morning, John Cornyn launched an attack on Rick Noriega in which he lied by saying that Noriega had "objections" to the new bill because transferability had been added.  Of course, Noriega has never objected to transferability.  Rather, he has only supported the Webb bill, a bill which originally did not include transferability.

In fact, you should just read the garbage coming out of the Cornyn campaign for yourself:

"It's said that we recruit soldiers, but retain families. This bill will reward those military families, who also make sacrifices for our security," said Rob Jesmer, Cornyn's campaign manager. "Retention is vital to our military, and to our national ability to defend ourselves. We sincerely hope Rick Noriega will put aside his objections and get behind the improved version passed overwhelmingly by the House last week.  The welfare of our fighting men and women should come before personal political advantage."

This is one of the most disingenuous statements I've ever heard in politics.  Not only has Noriega steadfastly supported the new GI Bill--with or without transferability--but he also just returned this past weekend from serving his two weeks of active duty with the Texas Army National Guard.  While Cornyn the lawyer has been campaigning during the past two weeks, Noriega the soldier has been consumed day and night with "the welfare of our fighting men and women."

Cornyn's campaign continued:

"If Representative Noriega continues to oppose the transferability provision insisted upon by President Bush, Sen. McCain, Sen. Cornyn, and others, he should explain his reasons," Jesmer added.  "Just as Rick Noriega reluctantly endorsed Senator Cornyn's legislation to build a new Veterans Hospital in South Texas, he ought to swallow his pride and endorse this good piece of legislation too."

This type of talk from Cornyn's campaign is nauseating to troops and veterans.

Cornyn then concludes:

This episode highlights an important difference in the approach of two Senate candidates on a serious national issue, Jesmer concluded.  "Representative Noriega was willing to give up quickly on an important benefit for our military, and he has tried to use Senator Cornyn's principled opposition to the flawed bill for his own narrow political advantage.  Senator Cornyn, on the other hand, stood fast in support of our troops, even though he knew his minority vote would be used against him initially.  It is now clear that Senator Cornyn's far-sighted stand will prevail, and both our volunteer military - and our national security - will benefit as a result."

This is hilarious.  Let's read that again:

Senator Cornyn, on the other hand, stood fast in support of our troops, even though he knew his minority vote would be used against him initially.

Ha ha ha!  Yeah, he knew his minority vote would be used against him after he realized he was on the wrong side of America and the nation's troops and veterans.  And then, when he spins it at the end, that's when I fall out of my chair:

It is now clear that Senator Cornyn's far-sighted stand will prevail, and both our volunteer military -- and our national security -- will benefit as a result.

His far-sighted stand?  What a joke.  This man voted against the expansion of the GI Bill for America's troops and veterans.  And now he has the gall to try and take credit for its passage.  What a dick.  It is an admirable attempt at spin, however.  Either way, the troops know Cornyn is a flip-flopper who supports them when it's politically expedient.

So, all that said, I'd just like to repeat something about John Cornyn I said here a while back.

Regardless, as far as his accusation goes that we're the ones jeopardizing national security, Cornyn actually takes the cake on this one: He's the one who's kept us in this disastrous war in Iraq.  He's the one who's supported policies that have nearly bled the Army dry.  He's the one pre-occupied with Shia-Sunni strife in Iraq, while terrorism flourishes in Afghanistan.  He's the one who voted against giving our troops proper rest and recovery periods--thus weakening our military.  And he's the one who's prepared to kill military recruiting by keeping the GI Bill weak enough to prevent recruiters from using it as a viable "carrot."  In fact, Cornyn's policies are the reason that 60 percent of the military's officers believe that "the military is weaker than it was five years ago."

So I don't think the Cornyn campaign really wants to go there with this "even if our national security is jeopardized" nonsense.  Cornyn is a veritable champion when it comes to weakening our national security.  The troops--especially those who've served in Afghanistan--know that.  And we'll keep reminding him--and his constituents--of that fact throughout the year.