Tucked into the more than $200 billion U.S. Senate war-funding bill is a plan to upgrade the World War II-era GI Bill. And while the bill contains money for worthy domestic projects that don't quite belong here — anti-crime grants, NASA funding, and wildfire prevention funding among them — the GI Bill surely does.

In addition to the $165 billion to fund another year of military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, the bill cleared last week by the Senate includes a new version of the GI Bill, which would pay for the cost of attending in-state public colleges or universities and provide housing assistance for veterans who have served at least three years since Sept. 11, 2001. It also would match aid from private colleges.

Opponents say it costs too much — an estimated $50 billion over the next decade.

But there's no embarrassment of riches here. Paying for a college education for returning veterans is honoring a commitment that this nation has long held. The cost of the revamped bill is also a factor of the shortcomings of the existing bill, which barely covers half the cost of a veteran's college education.

Some critics argue that the college incentive would hinder re-enlistment.

That's off the mark and minimizes the contribution of those who serve only one enlistment period. And the Senate's most prominent veterans — Sens. John Warner, R-Va., and Jim Webb, D-Va., both former secretaries of the Navy — disagree. The bill would aid retention and recruitment, they argue.

President Bush says he'll veto the bill, which now goes to the House, because of the domestic spending add-ons. Clearly, there's room for improvement.

But the GI Bill should not become a casualty of the political discord. Our veterans deserve better than that.