Supporting this nation's veterans has been one of the few issues to have escaped the rampant partisanship that has stymied Congress. No more. Presidential politics surrounding a new GI Bill have gotten ugly.

While the rancor that surrounds the debate will be long forgotten come November, the true casualty of this political skirmish is historic opportunity to fashion a groundbreaking GI Bill of Rights, one more in tune with the needs of the 21st century warrior.

There are two GI Bills on the table. One is from Sen. James Webb, a Virginia Democrat and former Navy secretary. Democratic presidential contenders Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama support the Webb bill. The Republican nominee in waiting, John McCain, has adopted legislation authored by GOP Sens. Richard Burr of North Carolina and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.

Both bills are pretty good, and they're certainly an improvement over the current GI Bill, but they do have significant flaws. What the presidential candidates don't seem to recognize is that provisions of the legislation they oppose would greatly strengthen the legislation they support.

The Webb bill is in the driver's seat. It passed the Senate, 75-22, last week as part of a $165 billion bill that funds the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Given that this is an election year, I doubt the results would have been much different had the bill been given a straight up-and-down vote; it's that vet-friendly.

For starters, the Webb legislation essentially would pay for a bachelor's degree at a rate sufficient to attend a state's most expensive public institution. If vets want to attend higher-tuition institutions than that, they can open accounts in a new program in which the federal government matches their education savings dollar-for-dollar.

No matter what school a veteran attends, he or she will be eligible for stipends to help pay for tutors and housing. Certification and licensing fees are also covered. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the value of the Webb education benefits is about $90,000, or twice the worth of those available to today's veterans.

To collect the full package, a servicemember must put in three years of duty. However, he or she can collect pro-rated benefits in as little as three months. Once the benefits are earned, a vet has 15 years to exercise these options, up from a 10-year ceiling now in place.

l l l

IN CIVILIAN TERMS, THIS IS A SMOKING DEAL. Too smoking, according to Pentagon analysts. They fear the education benefits will backfire by enticing enlisted personnel to trade their bulletproof vests for backpacks lined with college textbooks. With forces stretched thin, our admirals and generals want to hold on to every soldier, sailor, airman and Marine they can.

The CBO backs up their concern. Its analysis projected that the Webb bill would reduce re-enlistments by 16 percent. To offset those benefits, the CBO estimated that a re-enlistment bonus package worth $25,000 per person would have to be offered each service member pondering signing up for a second hitch. This enticement would cost taxpayers about $7 billion over and above the $51.8 billion in education benefits granted during the 10-year span of the Webb GI Bill.

That's a huge problem. Ironically, the Burr-Graham-McCain GI Bill solves it.

It has an ingenious provision that would allow active duty personnel to transfer 50 percent of their education benefits to other family members after six years of service. After 12 years, 100 percent of the benefit could be transferred.

Lots of married service members, particularly those with kids, would re-up for transferable benefits. Transferability is also important for minorities who lag far behind whites in wealth and education. There aren't a lot of investments available to low-wealth minorities that guarantee a $90,000 return in higher education benefits after only 12 years. Plus, the military offers so many higher education opportunities that completing a bachelor's degree while serving on active duty is more than just a possibility.

The opportunities presented by melding the opposing GI Bill proposals into a generous but still retention-oriented package are eye-opening. Let's hope the presidential candidates have the foresight to recognize them.

Get $150+ in coupons in every Sunday N&O. Click here for convenient home delivery.