By LAWRENCE DOWNES
Senator Patty Murray on September 5, 2012. Congressional
Republicans, resolute in their commitment to deny the Democrats
anything that looks like an accomplishment in an election year, have
spent the week obstructing passage of the Veterans Job Corps Act of
2012. It’s a perfectly inoffensive bill from Senator Patty Murray, the
Washington Democrat, meant to increase hiring and job training for
veterans, especially those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.Who
could oppose hiring more veterans as cops, firefighters and
national-parks workers? Who could be against helping veterans apply
their military training to earn civilian occupational licenses? The
unemployment rate for new veterans hit nearly 11 percent in August,
compared with 8.1 percent nationwide. Veterans and active-duty soldiers
are committing suicide at alarming rates. The men and women who defend
America in uniform are 1 percent of the population. Why shouldn’t the 99
percent give them a hand?

I’ll let the Republicans explain.Senator
Tom Coburn of Oklahoma says it is dishonorable and cowardly to help
veterans find jobs when there are more important things (what?) to do.
Perhaps forgetting where he worked, he denounced the legislation on
Wednesday as a “political exercise” and a waste of time, since the House
wasn’t going to pass it anyway. (If that’s going to be the standard,
the Senate might as well shut off the utilities.)“Where is
our honor? Where is our valor? Where is our sacrifice?” thundered Mr.
Coburn, immediately after suggesting that the bill cost too much.Rand
Paul of Kentucky went further, saying he would block the bill until
Pakistan freed Shakil Afridi, the doctor who helped the United States
find Osama bin Laden. He also wants to halt all American aid to Pakistan
until Dr. Afridi is released. If that halts American aid to veterans,
too bad.“I care deeply about the veterans . I care deeply about
housing and helping the veterans who have fought for their country. But
this is about whether we as a country and the American taxpayers will be
asked to send good money after bad to allies that are not acting like
allies.”It’s only “about” that because of Mr. Paul. This ought to be about jobs for veterans.

Ms.
Murray has not managed to open the Pakistani prison cell, but she has
tried to make her bill as bipartisan as possible, by incorporating
wholesale additions from Richard Burr, a North Carolina Republican. The
Senate could have rallied behind this bill, shown its dedication to the
troops, and been done with it by now. But Democrats will have to pass
this bill the hard, slow way, with repeated large votes overcoming
Republican procedural objections. At this rate, it might pass on
Wednesday. Or it might be killed by Republicans committed to making a
bigger point about honor, valor, sacrifice and obstruction.