Drake says 'no' vote on GI bill was due to veto warning

I will personally veto it. HA! So you better vote NO for Thelma.

By some of the comments, it seems that some are not aware that Drake IS up for re-election this fall and is opposed by Glenn Nye. So you CAN help vote her out if you want change in representation (of lack of).

Its a shame that Thelma's sycophant-driven tenure coincided with that of the most unpopular presnit in modern Mercan history. If only she coulda been a sycophant for a less unpopular one.

"Then again, I guess it is a rare day when you actually see an elected member of the government show some fortitude and conviction for what they really believe in anymore."

Please remember Thelma Drake was bought and paid for by the Bush/Cheney and even Laura Bush who all came here to campaign for her.
I can't help but wonder who will tell Drake what to say, and how to vote after Bush is out of office. The woman does not have a mind of her own!

Here I was thinking that the legislation was an entirely different branch of the government from the executive branch. Must have been that wonderful public education I received that steered me wrong.

Memo to Drake: The sole reason you are there is to try to pass laws that will better the country and the citizens who live in it. If the President wants to veto something you're putting up, then let him do the job that he was elected for. It's hard to tell whether she is a gutless coward who bows to the bullying of the White House or if she is a spineless sissy who wants to stay in the good graces of a lame duck office. Either way, it's a disgusting representation of my city and state that she is puting up in D.C. right now.

Then again, I guess it is a rare day when you actually see an elected member of the government show some fortitude and conviction for what they really believe in anymore.

No surprise. Like most real estate sales people, she'll tell you and sell you what she thinks you want to hear. Don't buy it. She snubbed President Bush when he came to town with a phony excuse of a conflict; but now wants to snub the troops because the President might veto the bill. So what if he does.

what she is told to do. Nothing more, nothing less.

Webb: No president in history has, has vetoed a benefits bill for those who’ve served. So on the one hand, we have this rhetoric, which goes to what I was writing/saying, “This is the next greatest generation, these guys are so great.” And then we see this president, he’s fine with sending these people over and over again where they’re spending more time in Iraq than they are at home. He’s fine with the notion of stop loss, where we can, we can make people stay in even after enlistments are done. And then we say, “Give them the same benefit that the people in World War II have,” and they say it’s too expensive?

Your response, Thelma?

DRAKE.....Do you really think she would make it any better for anyone other than....SHE needs to walk.....

And I've got some Kool-Aid for sale. This poor excuse of a representative cares less about what this region/district believes. She kowtows to the administration and will not do anything unless directed to by similar puds like Randy Forbes, et al. She's not the sharpest tool in the shed and is known for being a fellow obstructionist to prevent any positive legislation from advancing that is not a product of her corrupt party. But she will be the first to take to the airwaves to tout her invovlement with legislation and point the finger at everybody else when things aren't rosy. I urge everybody to look at the Virginian Pilot on Saturdays (voting section) and determine for yourself how she continuously votes. You'll see quite clearly whose lead she's following, and it's not the wishes of the MAJORITY of her constituents.

So you can't believe Drake would pull such a stunt......then you don't know the politics of Thelma Drake.

I'm still waiting for someone to tell us where the pork is buried in the legislation. Surely one of you must be well informed enough to explain to the rest of us. Or could it be a figment of the imagination of those of you who are defending Drake's position?

How interesting that Drake, who does not have a college education, voted against a bill that would allow others to go to college....

But let's all keep in mind that there were things that bloated the bill and it could have been simplified if it was supported as much as everyone in the senate says and wanted it to pass GWBs office without veto.

To all the conservatives out there, please remember this excuse: "there was too much pork in the bill" the next time you want to say that a democratic senator votes against a bill and he is unpatriotic.

Matter of fact the last time this happened, you all called John Kerry a flip-flop for supporting a Iraq war funding bill then changing his vote when when extra pork was added. He said time and again that refused to support the junk that was added to it at the last moment. Right wingers ate this up and jumped on the flip-flop bandwagon.

Bills aren't always black and white. They weren't for John Kerry and they aren't for Thelma Drake.

That still doent mean she is not a puppet in this white house gone bad.

And I saw no "pork." She said it herself...she won't vote for legislation the President disapproves of. For a legislator to vote according to the will of the executive branch and not according to the will of her own constituents or even her own conscience blatantly defies the checks and balances built into the Constitution. I cannot believe she would even ADMIT to not voting for something simply because the President threatened a veto. She should be recalled by the voters of her district IMMEDIATELY. The content of the bill aside, her performance is outrageous.

as a military member I am register in another state. Way to show your support for the veterans who live in this area. I have read the bill and I know there are parts that I don't agree with like the fact that not all veterans are going to qualify for the extra benefits. All that can get worked out once the bill gets closer to being passed. And people are wondering why the youth of today aren't joining the armed forces. Why should they put their lives on the line for bad pay and bad benefits. Give them what they deserve and have earned.

She's lucky as hell she's not up for reelection this time.

"Entitlements"? Bad for retention? Stop loss is better? Multiple combat tours? The Bush Administration, and
Thelma dear is one of their best little rubber-stamp, tin soldiers, doesn't care a rat's a$$ about veterans, that is, AFTER their cannon-fodder shelf life.

After reading the article and the comments in the blog I agree with a few comments. The article should have explained why Ms. Drake did not agree with the GI Bill instead of noting a few issues she had with the bill. I want to know do the GOP have a better GI Bill on the table and why have it taken so long for an improved GI Bill to come into play. I do not understand the comments that Webb is trying to pad his son's pockets. His son is fighting in a war so he is entitled to the GI Bill just like every service member that pays into it. At least his son is fighting in this war instead of the other politician kids hiding behind their parents influence. I found it interesting that some Republican members crossed lines to vote for this new GI Bill. Why cannot the senate and congress come together for the common good of the American people instead of bickering on any bill? The comments about this GI Bill are going to cost too much, how about the war that the GOP and the majority of Demarcates voted for. This war is going to cost this country for generations for the money spent on the Iraq government, infrastructure, contractors, supplies, and our most valuable asset our bright and brave

I can't believe Thelma voted against anything that has to do with our veterans. They fight for our freedom and they are out there for us and deserve the best we have to offer. We owe them the best that we can give them because they were willing to give their LIVES for us and our freedom. That should be worth some college tuition at the very least, so shame on you Thelma!

To those of you who keep claiming that she vetoed because of pork...where is it? I read what I thought was the complete text and couldn't see it. Would one of you please step up and give us some specifics?

Thelma Bush. I'll be sure to remember that this fall...

What a joke she is. We need a free-thinker to represent us here in ORF/VB. Actually, the real joke is she keeps getting re-elected. Way to go, sheeple.

The Webbites want everyone to forget that there was another bill that was tabled to make way for the Webb publicity stunt.The previous bill was more to the point and was actually better,and more directly targeted to the alleged point of this bill,to aid veterans who want to go to college.This bill is more expensive,and the final version contains riders that boost it's cost,without bothering to spend that money on veterans.As always with Webb,it's the publicity,not the result,that really matters.With his handlers,who seem to have his unflinching,unthinking,knee-jerk vote on every issue,the point was to get the framework of an alleged veterans' bill out there to hang their pork on.Withing these postings,you see who was so easily fooled.

If Thelma really wanted to support the troops and her only issue was the added PORK, then why isn't she submitting her own version of the bill WITHOUT the PORK. Answer me this, if soo many people are for supporting the troops why aren't they doing more for them? I agree, PORK spending has gotten out of hand, but I am bothered that had this been REPUBLICAN backed issues, this would be passed without a thought. The fact that Drake has once again decided to VOTE NO because of the threat of a Presidential VETO says more than anything else. She is nothing more than a parrot for the incompetent person sitting in the White House. Pork or not our service men and women of all branches should get more than they do for their service. For those who say this is voluntary, I would like to remind you about what happens when there is no one who Volunteers. Does Viet Nam ring a bell? Does the DRAFT ring a bell? Voluntary saves the rears of those who DON'T want to, so you ought to be grateful to them.

I read the bill, and where is the pork? Please tell me. How dare Drake stand in front of the Wisconsin and state that she is not supporting this bill because Bush will veto? And she claims to support our troops. Remember people, this is the same "lady" who asserted in her initial campaign that her opponent, a gulf war vet, would be "soft on terrorism". The silver lining in this story is that Drake has finally acknowledged that she is truly Bush's lackey. VA Beach, you deserve her.

The most educated ever. There are more Associates Degrees and Bachelor Degrees among the enlisted community then at any other time in the history of our Armed Forces. So please, spare me the "Our Military is nothing but Dumbed Down Hicks". This is the furthest from the truth. Funny how TRUTH is lost on a lot of people that decide to post on these boards and the Pilot.

that got left (metaphorically) on the cutting room floor. What did the Pilot edit out of this story?

So you know for future diatribes:

Dumb: slow to learn or understand; lacking intellectual acuity

Educated: possessing an education (especially having more than average knowledge)

Why do you assume our fighting men and women are dumb?

Drake votes against a bill that she thinks Bush will veto? I'm reading she does not want to vote for any measure that Baby Doc doesn't like! I that's saying she doesn't vote against any measure Baby Doc likes! What a friggin robot! I guess all of you military who supported her, see where she really stands. She supports spilling your blood, but wants to keep you "dumb".

Wow-sign on as a co-sponsor of a bill then wilt at the threat of a possible veto. Way to stand tough for the troops, Drake. Too much pork?-then end the war and stop giving tax breaks to the oil companies.