White House opposes pay hike for troops - so much for 'supporting' them

One has to wonder how some people like to proclaim their ‘support’ for the troops when in reality, current Administration policy reeks of being anti-troop.

First there was the idea to go to war in Iraq in the first place - a decision which has cost nearly 3,400 American lives and God knows how many Iraqi civilians’ lives, not to mention our standing in the world and several-hundred-billion-dollar jump in the national debt.

Then came the Abu Ghraib scandal. Then Walter Reed. Then Bush’s recent veto of a bill that would have brought our troops home to safety.

And now comes this:

Troops don’t need bigger pay raises, White House budget officials said Wednesday in a statement of administration policy laying out objections to the House version of the 2008 defense authorization bill.

The Bush administration had asked for a 3 percent military raise for Jan. 1, 2008, enough to match last year’s average pay increase in the private sector. The House Armed Services Committee recommends a 3.5 percent pay increase for 2008, and increases in 2009 through 2012 that also are 0.5 percentage point greater than private-sector pay raises. (emphasis added)

The slightly bigger military raises are intended to reduce the gap between military and civilian pay that stands at about 3.9 percent today. Under the bill, HR 1585, the pay gap would be reduced to 1.4 percent after the Jan. 1, 2012, pay increase.

Bush budget officials said the administration “strongly opposes” both the 3.5 percent raise for 2008 and the follow-on increases, calling extra pay increases “unnecessary.”

I added some bold to show yet another difference between Republicans and Democrats - the Democratic-controlled Armed Services Committee voted to pass a pay hike, while the Administration opposes it. Actually, truly supporting the troops would involve bringing them home, but since such efforts haven't worked yet, this will have to suffice for now. Anyway, back to my rant.

Mr. President, do you really believe it unnecessary to treat our men and women in uniform to a fair wage? These people are putting their lives on the line in a war that you started, and your idea of 'supporting' them is to oppose giving them just a 3.5% pay hike?

What exactly is your idea of 'suporting the troops,' Mr. President? Because evidently it's not the same as mine.