Veterans' Champion My Hind Leg

I hope other disabled veterans will join me in saying "What?" to John McCain's assertion that he cares about us and we know he cares about us. Huh? What, exactly, has Sen. McCain done on our behalf lately? He likes to make excrutiatingly patriotic sound bites out of his service and his status as a prisoner of war during Vietnam, and I'm sure every other U.S. vet -- and most other Americans -- join me in applauding his service and his sacrifice. However, the man cannot excuse the rest of his political and personal careers on that basis. Has he actually fought for veterans' rights? No. Has he been a dominant voice for veterans' services? No. Has he made even significant personal donations to veterans' causes? Uh, no.

Yes, the man was horribly abused on behalf of his country during Vietnam. That does not make him a hero today. What would make him a hero today is personal sacrifice on the part of others who are enduring privation for their country now. He would be a hero if he could take a demonstrable stand -- and action -- on behalf of the veterans and current service members who cannot get the treatment and supplies they need because the U.S. government is so focused on its mission that anyone who no longer directly serves that mission is discarded as useless. Service members may have lost limbs, eyes, ears or other body parts in an unjust and illegal war, but once they're out of the battle they're out of the public consciousness. Period. No argument; no reprieve. In many cases, no help.

It's disgraceful that Sen. McCain calls himself a champion of veterans. He's a champion of the Republican Party, the wealthy and himself. As a disabled veteran, I'm ashamed of him.