For reasons that have been clearly articulated in the past, John McCain opposes the GI bill currently being considered in the U.S. Senate. Obama decided to use the Senate floor to go after his presumed opponent in November.

“I can’t understand why he would line up behind the president in opposition to this G.I. Bill. I can’t believe why he believes it is too generous to our veterans.”

Team McCain promptly struck back, saying McCain’s admiration for troops goes beyond a cheap campaign ploy.

“Perhaps, if Senator Obama would take the time and trouble to understand this issue he would learn to debate an honest disagreement respectfully. But, as he always does, he prefers impugning the motives of his opponent, and exploiting a thoughtful difference of opinion to advance his own ambitions. If that is how he would behave as President, the country would regret his election.”…

“It is typical, but no less offensive that Senator Obama uses the Senate floor to take cheap shots at an opponent and easy advantage of an issue he has less than zero understanding of….Unlike Senator Obama, my admiration, respect and deep gratitude for America’s veterans is something more than a convenient campaign pledge. I think I have earned the right to make that claim.

Obama counter-punched, essentially calling McCain’s response a distraction from fixing the issue.

“These endless diatribes and schoolyard taunts from the McCain campaign do nothing to advance the debate about what matters to the American people.”

So an attack on McCain from the Senate floor is productive, but a response to said attack is a “schoolyard taunt” that’s not productive? Yeah…