Elusive, the burbs (11/14/2009 3:39:30 AM)

Thank you Senator Coburn for keeping an eye on our money, pushing for cuts elsewhere to get our Vets taken care of.

hmmm, (11/14/2009 5:00:58 AM)

Offsetting the costs of this bill by reducing funding to the united nations is an interesting and novel proposal.

Probably not much of a chance of happening if UN funding is through the State department.

droopy, wagoner (11/14/2009 6:21:14 AM)

Good job Senator Coburn, wish we had lots more like him.

TheLastWord, (11/14/2009 7:36:44 AM)

If he had acted this way to stop the unfunded folly in Iraq we would have plenty of money to pay for this bill, or no need for the bill at all.
What a hypocrite.

Alan Shore, (11/14/2009 8:52:49 AM)

So far his plan is to vote No, another example of Republican hypocrisy. They spent money as fast as it was printed for the last eight years...and SUDDENLY they are fiscally responsible?

Coburn is just happy to not be talking about how he is pro-adultery and pro-rape.

CWG, Tulsa (11/14/2009 9:01:38 AM)

TheLastWord: Coburn is not a hypocrite, the war in Iraq was and is no folly, go to search and find out the real reason we invaded Iraq, it was not 9/11 as the media would lead the sheep to believe.

As long as we allow the crooks in Washington to give our money away to keep themselves in power there won't be enough.

RDUN, (11/14/2009 9:13:03 AM)

Glad to see the public pressure on Coburn is having some effect. I guess he doesn't like being outed as a ineffectual fool after all. But in his trademark goofball style, he has chosen two alternatives that have no chance of being realized. Has the man ever done anything for Oklahoma? When you're a member of a group, you have to work with the other members to accomplish anything. And all he has accomplished is antagonizing every other member of the Senate. His speechifying about saving taxpayers' money hasn't saved them a penny.

Eric, Tulsa (11/14/2009 9:16:38 AM)

...
And my question is: did Sen. Coburn vote for sending troops to Iraq?

If he did, he has no business witholding any bill that helps disabled vets...regardless of where the funding comes from.
...
..
.

Few Clothes, America (11/14/2009 11:43:45 AM)

I don't know Eric, he didn't tell me.

Proud Liberal, Weatherford (11/14/2009 12:04:02 PM)

It's public record, he voted to send them and to fund the war time and time again. He asked NO questions at that time about where the money came from. Of course, much of the money was going TO no-bid contracts with GOP cronies, so it was all good...

Bigbadbri, Broken Arrow (11/14/2009 3:51:20 PM)

Coburn doesn't give a rip about veterans. He is anti anything that doesn't benefit the wealthy. But, he has an R next to his name so he and Inhofe keep getting elected. This is the man who had no problems sending billions to Iraq for a war we started but has zero interest in helping the men and women who fought it.

true2form, Grand Lake (11/14/2009 5:05:15 PM)

He also said in his statement, "If we don't start making hard choices, and stop making excuses, our veterans won't have a country left to defend."

And that will be the fault of non other than obstructionist politicians like Senator Coburn.

CWG, Tulsa (11/14/2009 5:07:01 PM)

And I guess the D's give a rip about veterans Bigbadri.

Proud Liberal: a few details about those no bid contracts please and tell us who could have bid.

Proud Liberal, Weatherford (11/14/2009 6:48:12 PM)

CWG, the military is now using private contractors for things historically done my the military itself. They use the excuse that it's an emergency so that we cannot do bids. Things like construction, meals, and many other details are now done by Halliburton, Brown and Root, and others. They certainly aren't saving money by doing this, and shoddy construction and electrical work has killed soldiers. But it really helps out friends of Dick Cheney...

Corvetteguy, Tulsa (11/14/2009 7:02:51 PM)

What an ignorant comment.... to even imply that Doctor Tom Coburn, arguably the most conservative member of congress, and quite possibly the most conservative member of all time, supported the war on terror due to not caring that GOP cronies were the contractors getting the contracts.

One of the most ignorant comments I have read in the year and a half I have been on this site.... That's pitiful.

Formulate some inteligent thoughts of your own,... and drop the MSNBC left-wing talking points.

RC1936, St. Robert (11/15/2009 9:01:24 AM)

Proud Liberal, the military is indeed using private contractor to do many things military personnel once did, such as KP and guard duty and simple yard work such as mowing and raking. But I guarantee that everything is bid for by someone. Before a company is allowed to bid they are made to prove that they are substantial, that they have the resources and tools to do the job they're bidding for. Because of that required burden of proof many small businesses aren't bidding because they aren't qualified.But those rules of proof were put in place 30 to 40 years ago when such jobs first began to be farmed out. Yes, those rules do mean that the richest companies get the most contracts. And it matters not who is in office in Washington or locally. And those rules of requirement do make sense when looked at in the overall scheme of thing. It would truly be calamitous if some company got a bid then later it was found to not be able to complete the job they asked for. There is not much political about it, it is about the ability to do the job. And the richest can afford to do the job and some are Republicans and some are Democrats because not all rich people are Republicans.

Bullhead, - (11/15/2009 11:02:21 AM)

COBURN! LISTEN UP! OUR VETS' LIVES ARE NOT BARGAINING CHIPS. This is not a game of poker. What is the matter with you?

Proud Liberal, Weatherford (11/15/2009 11:14:11 AM)

RC, the point is that many contracts in Iraq were no-bid because we just HAD to go to war with Iraq and there was no time. I'm not making this up.

I will agree with you that most normal continuing contracts ARE bid - I would hope so with my tax dollars. I don't understand why we pay someone OUTside the military to do these things. We end up with things like 12 soldiers being electrocuted because a contractor cut corners to enhance profits.

FS, Broken Arrow (11/15/2009 12:37:53 PM)

Human sacrifice is the only answer - starting with politicians ...

Few Clothes, America (11/15/2009 12:43:06 PM)

People have been screwing with Vet's lives forever. This is no revelation to anyone. The VA treats me very fair and I have no qualms about it.

Bud Green, No (11/15/2009 2:24:18 PM)

The most effective way to get a message across to these politicians is voting against them on election day.