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ARLINGTON, Va., July 3 /Standard Newswire/ -- Today, Barack Obama travels to North Dakota for an event focused on our veterans. Yet, in 2007, only 13 days after saying he would vote to support our military men and women in Iraq, Barack Obama opposed billions in critical funding that our troops needed in a political move to satisfy his base. This included over a billion in funding for our veterans. In the end, Barack Obama's talk about supporting our military and our veterans were just empty words:

IN 13 DAYS, BARACK OBAMA WENT FROM SUPPORTING FUNDING FOR OUR TROOPS IN IRAQ TO VOTING AGAINST IT

On May 13, 2007, Barack Obama Supported Funding To Give Our Men And Women The Equipment They Need In Iraq:

Barack Obama Told ABC's George Stephanopoulos That He Supported Funding To Give Troops The Equipment They Need. Stephanopoulos: "[Y]ou said then you have to say 'no' to George Bush because we can't get steamrolled. Yet you go in the Senate, your critics say, and vote for the funding every single time." Obama: "Because at that point you've got hundreds of thousands of young men and women who have to carry out the mission on behalf of the American people. It's not their fault that our civilian leadership made bad decisions and what I wanted to make sure of was that they had night vision goggles that they needed, the Humvees that they needed and I also felt and I've continued to feel this way that if we could create some semblance of stability and success in Iraq, that would be a good thing." (ABC's "This Week," 5/13/07)

· Watch Barack Obama: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O92kf_zKlC4

Thirteen Days Later On May 24, 2007, Barack Obama Voted Against Providing $94.4 Billion In Critical Funding For Our Troops On The Group:

Barack Obama Was One Of Only 14 U.S. Senators To Vote Against Providing $94.4 Billion In Critical Funding For The Troops In Iraq And Afghanistan. (H.R. 2206, CQ Vote #181: Passed 80-14: R 42-3; D 37-10; I 1-1, 5/24/07, Obama Voted Nay)

· "Courting The Anti-War Constituency, Democratic Presidential Rivals Hillary Rodham Clinton And Barack Obama Both Voted Against Legislation That Pays For The Iraq War But Lacks A Timeline For Troop Withdrawal." (Liz Sidoti, "Clinton, Obama Vote 'No' On Iraq Bill," The Associated Press, 5/25/07)

By The Numbers: What Barack Obama's No Vote Could Have Meant For America's Veterans:

· $595 million for medical facilities
· $228.982 million in additional funds to treat veterans of the global war on terror
· $20 million for vet centers and re-adjustment counseling
· $30 million to establish at least one new Level I comprehensive polytrauma center
· $9.4 million for operations costs associated with the establishment of new polytrauma residential transitional rehabilitation programs
· $10 million for additional transition caseworkers to work with separating veterans and their families
· $10 million for rehabilitation programs for vision impaired veterans
· $100 million for enhancements to mental health services
· $20 mi llion for substance abuse treatment programs
· $8 million for poly trauma clinic support teams
· $25 million for prosthetics
· $250 million for the administration of the VA health care system
· $32.5 million for medical and prosthetic research
· $83.2 million for general operating expenses
· $326 million in construction funding for VA-identified needs
    (House And Senate Committees On Appropriations, "Summary Of The Fiscal 2007 Supplemental Funding Legislation," Press Release, 5/24/07)