Joe Biden: My Promise to America's Troops and Veterans

[babylonsister]

http://www.vetvoice.com/showDiary.do;jsessionid=5E02286BC60041E21648627818CF6FAA?diaryId=87

My Promise to America's Troops and Veterans
by: Senator Joe Biden
Tue Nov 20, 2007 at 15:45:11 PM EST

I have made a promise to America's veterans and assure each of you it is a promise that I will keep as your President. Your government will cease paying lip service when it comes to honoring our veterans. Instead, my administration will fulfill its commitment to those who have valiantly served our country by providing them with quality care and services.

As veterans, you hold a unique perspective of the world that we live in today. You are also among the most qualified individuals to speak about issues that affect the direction of our country. We are not only indebted to you, but we have an obligation to listen to your concerns. This is why I applaud VetVoice for understanding what so many have failed to realize over the years.

Veterans are the cornerstone of my presidential campaign. I have said time and again that you will be my number one priority. I have worked tirelessly on two fronts: bringing our troops home from Iraq in a responsible manner and providing a comprehensive solution to the problems at the V. A. Just recently the Senate passed my Plan for Iraq by a margin of 75-24, which included bipartisan support from Republicans. This indicates that the right kind of leadership can unite America and quell the division that has held us back for the past seven years.

We must seize these kinds of opportunities because they strengthen our resolve and make us better as a nation. But bringing our troops home safely is only the first step. I have proposed a comprehensive plan to reform the V.A., and have given much thought to the fact that existing institutional problems cannot be solved by monetary means alone.

Establishing a one-hundred day deadline for the adjudication of claims and providing the ratings teams with access to qualified medical expertise will be a tremendous help to those veterans at the highest risk. In addition, I will mandate that the V.A. publish all disability claims that are denied each year-not just the ones that are approved. When this occurs, we will then be able to locate the discrepancies throughout the V.A. system and apply the correct solution. In short, our commitment to you must be without question whether it is on the battlefield or after your return.

Many have heard me say that if I had ten dollars as president and veterans need eight of those dollars, I will give it to them without hesitation. These are not just words; it is the truth. Your welfare is not only important, but it is this country's sacred obligation and a matter of national security. Veterans have taken a backseat far too long, and this practice must end.

Due to the nature of our current engagements abroad, our system in place has forgotten many of the brave men and women who fought in WW II, Korea and Vietnam. I will ensure that every individual who has served in uniform will never be relegated to an historical footnote. You are all heroes. America is truly blessed to have individuals who selflessly serve and continually give back to this great country of ours. For the many sacrifices that you have made, we shall always be in your debt.

Sincerely,

Senator Joe Biden

[Tom Joad]

1. nice. after all, he helped send them to Iraq. damn fool he is. but nice to vets

[1corona4u]

3. Thanks for ruining this topic with your snide comments,

for the rest of us, which was obviously a heartfelt statement from Joe. 76 others sent them to Iraq as well, at the behest of Bush. Who circumvented congress to do it.

[Tom Joad]

4. he was heartfelt when he conspired with Bush too. no one is saying

he is not heartfelt.

and when bushboy "circumvented" congress (that, under the constitution is the only branch empowered to declare war) you didn't hear a complaint from warmonger Biden.

If he becomes president, i am sure he will not ask congress for any declaration of war when he sends troops to some intervention on behalf of the wealthy elite.

That is a US tradition going back many decades already.

The 76 should be thrown out, and perhaps tried in Nuremberg.

[KittyWampus]

6. Thanks for adding that last line, it makes everything else you say that much more irrelevant

and easy to ignore.

But then some DU'ers have proven over the years they have little of value to add to the discourse here.

[1corona4u]

8. Yes, he did, and I posted in just an hour ago, in another thread

on this board. In fact, here is the whole post, for your edification;

And, by the way, no one said it was "a good idea". They voted to use force IF NEEDED. No one thought that Bush would circumvent congress and attack Iraq without going back to congress on it. And, if you are suggesting that Obama was smarter than all of them,, then I would point out to you, he wasn't even in the senate at the time of the vote. So it's easy for him to say he was against it, because he wasn't even there, to see the case being made by the Bush administration. Here's a comment from Obama, from this past May;

"I think what people might point to is our different assessments of the war in Iraq," Obama said at the time, "although I’m always careful to say that I was not in the Senate, so perhaps the reason I thought it was such a bad idea was that I didn't have the benefit of U.S. intelligence."

The "vote" to use force was approved on October 11th, 2002. Obama gave ONE speech(that I can find...) to an anti-war rally, in Chicago, on October 26th, 2002. The "war" didn't even start until March 20th, 2003. Obama was speaking out, in the most general terms about going to war in Iraq. He had no idea what the congress was being spoon fed by Bush. As you can see from the votes below, 77 others were also lied to.


Grouped By Vote Position YEAs ---77
Allard (R-CO)
Allen (R-VA)
Baucus (D-MT)
Bayh (D-IN)
Bennett (R-UT)
Biden (D-DE)
Bond (R-MO)
Breaux (D-LA)
Brownback (R-KS)
Bunning (R-KY)
Burns (R-MT)
Campbell (R-CO)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Carnahan (D-MO)
Carper (D-DE)
Cleland (D-GA)
Clinton (D-NY)
Cochran (R-MS)
Collins (R-ME)
Craig (R-ID)
Crapo (R-ID)
Daschle (D-SD)
DeWine (R-OH)
Dodd (D-CT)
Domenici (R-NM)
Dorgan (D-ND)
Edwards (D-NC)
Ensign (R-NV)
Enzi (R-WY)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Fitzgerald (R-IL)
Frist (R-TN)
Gramm (R-TX)
Grassley (R-IA)
Gregg (R-NH)
Hagel (R-NE)
Harkin (D-IA)
Hatch (R-UT)
Helms (R-NC)
Hollings (D-SC)
Hutchinson (R-AR)
Hutchison (R-TX)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Johnson (D-SD)
Kerry (D-MA)
Kohl (D-WI)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Lieberman (D-CT)
Lincoln (D-AR)
Lott (R-MS)
Lugar (R-IN)
McCain (R-AZ)
McConnell (R-KY)
Miller (D-GA)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Nelson (D-FL)
Nelson (D-NE)
Nickles (R-OK)
Reid (D-NV)
Roberts (R-KS)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Santorum (R-PA)
Schumer (D-NY)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Smith (R-NH)
Smith (R-OR)
Snowe (R-ME)
Specter (R-PA)
Stevens (R-AK)
Thomas (R-WY)
Thompson (R-TN)
Thurmond (R-SC)
Torricelli (D-NJ)
Voinovich (R-OH)
Warner (R-VA)

NAYs ---23
Akaka (D-HI)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Boxer (D-CA)
Byrd (D-WV)
Chafee (R-RI)
Conrad (D-ND)
Corzine (D-NJ)
Dayton (D-MN)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feingold (D-WI)
Graham (D-FL)
Inouye (D-HI)
Jeffords (I-VT)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Leahy (D-VT)
Levin (D-MI)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Murray (D-WA)
Reed (D-RI)
Sarbanes (D-MD)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Wellstone (D-MN)
Wyden (D-OR)


Honestly, I could care less who voted for/against the Iraq authorization to use force. It's not even something I ever considered as a factor for who I would/would not vote for. We weren't there, we didn't see what they were being told. I get sick of hearing people act as if Obama is the messiah, who, somehow, knew more than anyone else did. Colin Powell, who addressed the UN, made a pretty convincing case, based on lies, as we now know, but even then, some democrats were starting to question it, and how damaging it would be, including Biden;

By Sean Loughlin
CNN Washington Bureau
Wednesday, February 5, 2003 Posted: 7:05 PM EST (0005 GMT)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Secretary of State Colin Powell won praise Wednesday from Capitol Hill for his presentation to the United Nations, but some lawmakers, primarily Democrats, said questions remain about what the next step should be in the confrontation with Iraq.

Biden, D-Delaware, stressed that President Bush needs to do a better job of preparing the American public for a long-term commitment of U.S. armed forces in Iraq. Many people, Biden said, believe a military strike against Iraq would be "bloodless" and that U.S. troops would return home quickly.

"Johnny will not come marching home. We will be required to stay in-country with tens of thousands of forces for an extended period of time," Biden said, adding that such an endeavor would cost billions of dollars.



Joe also said that he regretted his vote, because Bush misused his authority. Which is the whole reason he said NO on the Kyle Lieberman bill. Which, by the way, Obama didn't even show up to vote on. Or the SCHIP bill.

[Tom Joad]

10. thanks for the speech excerpt, proves his support of the iraq war

his "complaint" is that bush was not doing a good job of preparing the country... not that the country and the congress should rise up against bush and his insane and monstrous plan to bomb iraq... but only that he was not preparing the country well for the hard and noble fight ahead.

Stupid, warmongering bastard.

[1corona4u]

13. Whatever...

You refuse to accept that this was NOT just Biden's vote. That's the hallmark of a close minded simpleton.

[Tom Joad]

17. I NEVER said it was just Biden's vote, i just said he is

responsible, and should be held accountable for his vote and his work to support the war as a US Senator.

why are you dissing me... while Biden-boy (and others) was voting for the war. i was marching against it.

[ginchinchili]

30. That all sounds radically da bomb, but there's a presidential primary going on

and your comments do nothing but incourage the chances of the Republican candidate, whomever it may be. Not so smart, not so da bomb. Americans tend not to like dealing with reality and they come up with an endless array of ways of avoiding it. Sometimes it sounds like a genuine position. Your comments are an example.

The reality is that we have 7 Democratic candidates running. The next president will be one of them or one of the Republican candidates. Frankly, it's not clear from your post if you even have a preference. There are certainly reasons to complain about our system--I do all the time--but in the mean time you might try spending your energy being more constructive, or you end up being part of the problem.

I'm just encouraging you to get behind the candidate who 1.) has the best qualifications to give you reason to believe he/she could do a good job changing the course of our nation, and 2.) has the best chance of beating the Republican. If you don't care or you're supporting the Republican, then you're only part of the problem.

[Debi]

28. Of course you hit every Edwards, Dodd and Clinton threads and remind thier supporters of the same

Otherwise I'd think you just have a crush on Joe Biden.

[ixion]

2. hey joe, how about a promise to We, the People, in general...

how about pledging to restore our republic and end the march towards fascism?

That is a promise I would love to hear.

[Tom Joad]

5. and not sending young men to die in wars supported by the likes of himself...

[KittyWampus]

7. yeah, try them all at Nuremburg. LOL!

[Byronic]

9. Nuremberg?

Oh dear.

Perhaps you should read Chris Dodd's book about those trials.

On a more positive note (and shaking my head in disbelief at the last few posts) Biden presents some good ideas on veterans issues. He spoke very eloquently recently on this subject, and described the 'Sacred Obligation' that the American people owe to veterans. It was very moving. He spoke with a tremendous amount of passion about a subject dear to his heart.

[Byronic]

11. Sorry cryingshame

Meant to reply to another post, not yours.

:hi:

[Tom Joad]

12. okay, it should be the Hague.

but don't you think at least Bush should be tried for war crimes and crimes against humanity?

and don't you think those that supported him have some connection to the crime, if not a criminal connection? and especially a US senator that has so much power, perhaps has much to answer for?

[1corona4u]

14. YES he(bush) should be

BUT ALL OF US, INCLUDING THE ENTIRE CONGRESS WERE LIED TO. HOW CAN YOU HOLD SOMEONE RESPONSIBLE FOR SOMEONE ELSE'S LIE, THAT THEY USED TO DECIDED?? NOT TO MENTION THAT THEY DIDN'T GIVE HIM PERMISSION TO GO TO WAR. HE DID IT ON HIS OWN. LOOK IT UP. THEY WERE GIVEN INFORMATION, FROM THE BUSH ADMIN, WHICH WAS FABRICATED. WHAT DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND???

So, you think ALL Senators should be tried for WAR CRIMES?!? If so, that is the most moronic statement I think I have ever heard.

STFU and go eat some turkey.

[Tom Joad]

18. You believed Bush??

do you drive a vehicle or operate heavy machinery?
I hope the answer is no... please let it be no.

[Tom Joad]

20. Barbara Boxer saw that info, and voted no...

and so did many others.

In fact, with the info US Senators in the Intell comm., they KNEW bush was lying to the US public, and yet some, like DiFi of California, still voted YES. so yeah, send DiFi to the Hague too.

[Froward69]

33. just "young men" eh

their are young women dying too. Bidens votes may be an issue with you. however I have yet to find ANY argument from Democrats against Biden that would be an issue with Independents or rethugs. The far left will cut off its nose regardless of is face if allowed too. if Kucinich were the nominee or Hillary or Edwards. we would LOOSE the GE. and suffer under one of the rights loons for at least 4 more years. and no Democratic idea will surface all because the far left refuses to cooperate. WHY? because the far left insisted on having its issues pushed to the forefront. and derided THE most qualified candidate we have.

[Frustratedlady]

15. Just look at you people. What are we coming to?

I shake my head in disgust when I see the in-fighting on this board. What is wrong with you?

Today is Thanksgiving. Can't you at least be civil to each other for 24 hours?

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.

[Tom Joad]

19. When men like biden send young men to wars, i will not hold my tongue

any day of the year.

[Frustratedlady]

25. His son or son-in-law is going over before too long.

I don't think he takes the decision to go to war lightly and never will.

[Tom Joad]

26. shame his son is willing to go fight a war of aggression

I would suggest he go awol or to canada.

[Steely_Dan]

16. I Find This Amazing

All the poster was trying to do was to pass on some information. There was no venom, no hate, no bashing.

Why do people insist upon throwing mud at other candidates. A civil discussion without the venom would be nice and the adult thing to do. Sometimes I wonder if we are all on the same team when it comes to wanting this country to be better.

-Paige

[Tom Joad]

22. Biden is certainly not on that team, that's for damn sure...

all he does is say how he would wage wars better (he says he would prepare the public better, and warn them about the cost... not stop invading nations for oil and power altogether), with better benefits for vets...

that is NOT a better country or better world... that is a continuation of this nightmare.

[Didereaux]

21. saddest of all is that a majority of veterans are blind supporters of the Republicans.

[Tom Joad]

23. i don't think that's true. certainly not of Iraq vets.

[Didereaux]

24. since Iraq vets are not anywhere near a majority, my premise stands as stated!

[babylonsister]

29. Do you have a link for those numbers? nt

[Didereaux]

31. try this.........

Go to exit poll analysis of the 2000, and 2004 elections. Also for a smaller but, significant window look at the discussions by experts analysts of the military votes that were/and were not counted in the Florida 2000 election. Another highly indicative and supportive source is to look at the voting results of precincts and communities that have a majority of active and retired military in the, such as Myrtle Beach SC areas in and around large military bases like Camp Pendleton in So Cal.

This is all pretty elemental stuff and somw due diligence will yield results. Also if you have access to such things, any of the major Polling outfits have accurate data, albeit a bit expensive.

have fun! ;)

[mrigirl]

27. Hey Tom - your distaste of Biden is so blatantly obvious- who's YOUR candidate?

I can't believe some of the things you said about Biden on this thread- completely untrue. I would not support Biden if I thought he was a war monger. My husband's father was killed in action in Cambodia during the Vietnam war in 1971. After we all knew the war was lost and over. My husband grew up w/o a father because of Vietnam. Our household is strongly against this war in Iraq and would absolutely NEVER support a candidate who was one. Grow up.

[1corona4u]

37. I know I wouldn't support a war monger...n/t.

[gateley]

32. Let's take a look at some of the comments on this article from the VETERANS THEMSELVES:

"Some things are worth losing elections over." Sen. Biden on Funding MRAP Vehicles

Senator Biden did not mention this in his message above, but everyone needs to know that he has been working tirelessly in the Senate to make sure that, while there is a single troop left in Iraq, they have ALL of the equipment they need to prevent the loss of their lives and their limbs.

He alone understands what is involved in ending the war in Iraq and how to make that happen.

Please take a hard and long look at Senator Biden's record and you will see that he is the one that has the troops' back, in every way that counts.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Back home, we were aware that only one Democratic candidate for President, Senator Joe Biden, kept his promises to us that he would fight for the funds needed to produce Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles which dramatically reduce the number of casualties from improvised explosive devices (IED's). When other presidential candidates were going back on their word to support those of us in harm's way, only Senator Biden remained steadfast in his support, regardless of any political consequences.

While still on the ground in Iraq, many of us from Iowa resolved that we would go back home and stand up for Senator Biden - just as he stood up for us on the floor of the United State Senate. We want to help make sure that our troops still in Iraq will have the best Commander in Chief possible on inauguration day in 2009.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

You, sir, not only have a "command" of the issues - but a true understanding of foreign and domestic matters. Our nation, and the globe, would be well served by a Biden Administration.

Please don't stop fighting. You're the smartest one in the room - and the troops need you there.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.vetvoice.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=87

[1corona4u]

34. And this from the State Coordinator for Iowa Vets for Biden

When I was mobilized with the Iowa National Guard's 1st Battalion of the 133rd Infantry based in Waterloo for Operation Iraqi Freedom in October of 2005, I knew that we were embarking on a long and difficult mission. After being extended four months, and mobilized for a total of 22 months, we returned to Iowa in July 2007 to an emotional homecoming.

More than 600 of us were part of the longest serving unit since the invasion of Iraq in 2003. During our 16 months on the ground in Iraq, we witnessed massive waste by government contractors who abused their no-bid contracts with the Pentagon. While private contractors bled the U. S. Treasury with little oversight, soldiers and Marines died because they lacked proper equipment and the newest life saving vehicles.

Back home, we were aware that only one Democratic candidate for President, Senator Joe Biden, kept his promises to us that he would fight for the funds needed to produce Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles which dramatically reduce the number of casualties from improvised explosive devices (IED's). When other presidential candidates were going back on their word to support those of us in harm's way, only Senator Biden remained steadfast in his support, regardless of any political consequences.

While still on the ground in Iraq, many of us from Iowa resolved that we would go back home and stand up for Senator Biden – just as he stood up for us on the floor of the United State Senate. We want to help make sure that our troops still in Iraq will have the best Commander in Chief possible on inauguration day in 2009.

We also support Senator Biden because he is the only candidate with the vision and the courage to come forward with a comprehensive and realistic plan to exit Iraq without leaving the region behind in mass disorder. It is clear that we need new leadership and a new approach to allow us to start withdrawing our troops.

I hope that you and thousands of other Iowa veterans will join with me in working to nominate and elect Senator Joe Biden as our 44th President. No one else possesses his depth of knowledge and experience in foreign affairs as well as the vision for restoring America's proper place in the world community. Please join us in a noble cause.

Sincerely,

James D. Mowrer
State Coordinator, Iowa Veterans for Biden.
-------------------------------------------------



There's a ton of these kinds of support comments from Vets out there...

[Froward69]

35. Spot On!!!

I wish more persons would actually listen to Vets instead of just playing lip-service. "you did a great thing for our country however heres what we should do_______________, I know better." sad very sad.

[1corona4u]

36. There are a lot more supporters for Biden...

that I think we are hearing about.....but I think we will soon...