Thelma used our troops as political pawns when she first voted against them for the new GI bill until she could add millions of dollars of pork for herself.

For attacking her supposed not supporting of the troops..Is that not what her party did from 2001 to 2007? They attacked any living sole that had the temerity to even look like they were "against" them. Dems were called unpatriotic, pro-terrorist, treasonous, anti-troops, and a host of other niceties like wearing band-aid purple hearts to mock John Kerry's actions in Vietnam, or calling other Dem vets in Congress cowards, or running a smear campaign against Max Cleland-a vet. I could go on but will not. Perhaps the Dems learned a thing or two from the masters of personal attacks against Dems and even vets who I guess in their minds were treasonous enough to think contrary to them. It is politics in the US and it is ugly. Playing fair does not work when the other side will sink as low as it can get to destroy an opponent. That is why DC is a mockery of democracy nowadays.

Although she is not my favorite, I have to say that I do admire her courage to stand for what she believes in instead of what the polls tell her to do. That showed when this bill was introduced. You are right to say that it fell far short of it's intended promise. It threw money at an issue without actually taking care of the issue. In typical Dem form, she was attacked for not supporting the bill and not "supporting" the troops. I think her lack of suppport for this bill says a lot more for her support for the troops than the Dems attempt at showing support for them.

The House vote on legislation, the work of Virginia’s Sen. Jim Webb, to provide veterans with new education benefits, was passed May 17, 2008. Drake voted against the bill at that time, which she had originally co-sponsored. Her vote was dictated to her (she being a junior Republican member of the House) by the Republican Party. We never got a straight explanation from her, and her explanation that the bill did not go far enough was a smoke screen because the Republicans (at the prompting of the White House) said the GI provisions in the bill were to expensive and went to far. But give her credit. If she can say black, is white and her constituents will believe her, then my hat’s off to her; but she certainly doesn’t have my vote.

is one of our least effective congresswomen. She votes against the interests of our hard working vets, yet continues to keep them in harms way. She votes against those who are left behind by opposing an increase in minimum wages, while supporting an increase in her own pay. She votes against the refurbishment of our inner city schools (some which are falling down around the students as they work)yet votes to keep No Child Left Behind in place (I guess because those rich white republican area schools don't need refurbishment).
I am appaled that she continues to lie with a smile on her face to her constituents, but then again look at who she invites to lunch!