Senators: Vets Need New GI Bill

The US needs a spruced-up GI Bill for today's veterans, Chuck Hagel and Jim Webb say in an op-ed in today's New York Times. The Vietnam vets argue that the measure "was one of the most important pieces of legislation in our history" and call for a new version to cover the skyrocketing cost of education for those who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The original bill paid full college tuition, but current legislation barely covers the price of community college. A new bill will be expensive, the senators warn, but it "should be viewed as an obligation." To bolster their point, the lawmakers point to their colleagues who went to school on the GI Bill, including John Warner, Daniel Inouye, and Ted Stevens.