Democrats concerned about facing a popular wartime president in next year's elections think there may be an opening in the most unusual of places: President Bush's treatment of the military.
Bush is held in high esteem by the military, because of his leadership of successful military campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq and his unstinting defense budgets. But Bush's opponents say he has rewarded American troops' heroism by skimping on their housing benefits, their tax cuts, their health care and education for their children.
A new report by the Democratic staff on the House Appropriations Committee this week asserts that Bush, by cutting about $200 million in the program that provides assistance to public schools serving military bases, would pare education funding disproportionately for children of soldiers who fought in Iraq. That adds to several complaints the staff has assembled: Bush's signature on the latest tax cut, which failed to extend a child tax credit to nearly 200,000 low-income military personnel; a $1.5 billion reduction in his 2004 budget, to $9.2 billion from $10.7 billion, for military housing and the like; and a cut of $14.6 billion over 10 years in benefits paid through the Veterans Administration.
"They're saying they unequivocally support the military, but then they make quite clear that the check is not in the mail," said Rep. David R. Obey (Wis.), the top Democrat on House Appropriations, referring to the administration. "They're taking actions that fly in the face of the support they profess for the military."
The story goes on to quote candidate Kerry, an actual veteran, as saying, "The real test of patriotism is how you treat veterans and keep promises to people who wore the uniform."
Well, duh. But promise-keeping is not on W's agenda, it's only on Cheney's, and exclusively to multinational corporations.
Meanwhile, AWOLBush.com features this informative poster with a capsule description of W's missing year of military duty.
