It's not just the children

The consequences of the conservative strategy of obstructing every piece of popular legislation that would improve the lot of ordinary Americans spread like kudzu. The Military Times [1] points to one that escaped most of our notice. Did you know that the House attached to its reauthorization and expansion of SCHIP an amendment to "expand family leave rights for people caring for wounded service members"? That it "was endorsed by a bipartisan presidential commission"?

Here's how it works:

Under the approved legislation, which lawmakers are calling the Support for Injured Servicemembers Act, spouses, parents, children or next of kin of service members who suffered serious injury or illness while on active duty could get up to six months of unpaid leave, in addition to vacation, personal or sick leave, to help with the care of the injured service member. Employers could require certification of how the time off was used.

Current law provides only 12 weeks of unpaid leave and does not extend the time off to parents, siblings or other relatives who could end up being the closest living kin of a severely wounded service member.

If Support for Injured Servicemembers falls to the SCHIP veto ax, Senators Clinton, Dodd, and Obama will try to attach it to the 2008 defense authorization bill. Though of course Bush is threatening to veto that bill, too.