McCain, Obama Spar Over Veterans Benefits

June 2, 2008 10:43 a.m. EST

Washington, D.C.(AHN) - Sens. John McCain (R-AZ) and Barack Obama (D-IL) continued bickering on Sunday ahead of a general election campaign, while voters in Puerto Rico went to the polls to cast ballots for Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) in one of the last contests of the primary season.

While having breakfast with some veterans in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Obama slammed McCain for opposing the GI bill sponsored by Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA), a measure that was passed by the Senate earlier this month and that gives college assistance to soldiers who have served since 2001.

"Thanks to bipartisan support, the bill passed by a vote of 75 to 22," Obama said, according to Time. "I voted for it, but John McCain opposed it, even though he didn't come back to vote. Now I have the greatest respect for John McCain's service to this country. But I don't understand why he would side with George Bush in opposing a bipartisan bill that does so much to make college affordable for veterans. George Bush and John McCain may think our plan is too generous, but I could not disagree more."

McCain, who sponsored a rival GI bill with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) that the White House supports, responded with a statement citing Obama's past vote against legislation providing veterans benefits.

"Last year Barack Obama was driven by leftwing party politics to vote against more than a billion dollars in funding for veterans' healthcare because it was included in funding for the 'Surge' strategy in Iraq," McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds said, according to ABC. "The 'Surge' strategy, which was advocated early on by John McCain, has shown strong signs of success and provided key funding to America's veterans - Barack Obama's blind opposition shows weak leadership and weak judgment."

The statement then says Obama voted against the 2007 Iraq Emergency Spending Bill that provided about $1.8 Billion For veterans' medical care.

McCain has said Webb's bill would "encourage more people to leave the military after they have completed one enlistment... at a time when the United States military is fighting in two wars." The presumptive Republican nominee's own GI bill, conversely, has been criticized as being purposefully less generous with college benefits to discourage veterans from leaving the service.