Comments on: New Defense Chief Shows Who The Boss Is

Gates' Reaction To Walter Reed Scandal Was Swift, Blunt

[karlimhof]

the war is illegal

the resumption of hostilities was only a matter of time since Bush was elected with his neocon sidekicks....

blame barbara bush iraq......
Posted by lars008

[macusweil]

"It should come as NO surprise that Cheney%u2019s name and Halliburton pop up in the Walter Reed Army Medical Center scandal."

Cheney like many in the Bush family are classic war profiteers~ for them it's simple: NO WAR - NO $$

They are the worst kind of scum, when there were no US wars Cheney had to sell his goods to countries like Libya and Iran. Cheney's so happy now we have a good ol' war of our own he gets paid directly with GREEN BACKS.. sweet!!

[lars008-2009]

the war is legal

the resumption of hostilities was only a matter of time since iraq broke the ceasefire agreement.....

blame saddam for iraq......

[lars008-2009]

like i said skippy.... tell me when the va/military hospitals have not been c r a p..... they always have been...... but then what do you expect from socialized medicine...... and that is what you will get when the demonic-rats try to force socialized medicine on the usa..... all the hospitals will be c r a p like the va/military hospitals....

[grumpas]

I will have to agree with Besscannon. These people knew they weren't fighting terrorism when they invaded Iraq! It was simple PR it made Bush look good in the press pure and simple! That was all they have ever cared about! The intelligent way to fight terrorism didn't require the military, tons of money and a cocky arrogant b...... playing commander in cheif for the world! It simply required a little intelligence, surveylance on law enforcements part, brain power, and patience. So they opted for the scenerio that made Bush look like a leader! Now our young men and women are suffering even more because Bush isn't a man enough to fulfill his promises to them! This mess grows more sickening by the day. The war profiteers are getting rich off of the rest of our misery!

[gramto7]

I have been in a military hospital, since my late husband was retired USAF. (Let me add that both he and worked at a civilian hospital, so I know what patient care SHOULD be.) I was absolutely appalled at the lack of care and insensitivity displayed by the personnel at the military hospital. I hate to feel this way, because my late husband was a radiology technologist while in the military, after starting off as a medic. He was an excellent tech. He gave good patient care to everyone. There is no reason for the type of care I received, or actually didn't receive. I was in to have surgery for abdominal pain, yet I was made to walk all over the hospital to get x-rays, lab. etc done. I even had to go to the cafeteria for meals. They evidently didn't believe in wheelchairs.

[texabilene]

Being a disabled Vet from the 70's the appaling conditions of the hospitals are no new news.
Just wait ill these new vets get into the VA system.
I needed knee surgury over 2 years ago and had a 40% disability for my knees. I was sent to Dallas and Albequrque for consultations but the primary care Phsycian i have didn't think my knee being locked in a 90 degree position required any care other than pain pills.
The Veterans Administrations heathcare system is far inferior than any i've seen or heard about.

[besscannon-2009]

I agree, it IS all Bush and Cheney's fault. They were gung-ho for war from the very first because it is the best way for a president to have ultimate control as Commander-in-Chief. That is what the whole administration has been about...power and control. Look how they have arranged it...with his "signing statement" he can sighn laws and then ignore them himself because that says, "I am signing this, but, I don't have to abide by it if I choose not to."The ultimate power has corrupted our whole governmental system. (and, Boys, don't use these blogs to fight between yourselves, state your opinions, don't snipe at each other!)

[dirtydog55]

Waxman charged that the Army used an unusual process to award a five-year, $120 million contract to manage the center to a company owned by a former executive of Halliburton, the scandal-prone government contractor once operated by Vice President *** Cheney.

It should come as NO surprise that Cheney%u2019s name and Halliburton pop up in the Walter Reed Army Medical Center scandal.

[dirtydog55]

Pentagon tries to block testimony by Walter Reed chief.

"Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) is challenging the Pentagon, which is attempting to block the former chief of Walter Reed Army Medical Center from testifying before Congress next week. Waxman wants to ask Maj. Gen. George Weightman about a contract to manage the medical center awarded to a company that had documented troubles fulfilling a contract to aid Hurricane Katrina victims. Waxman%u2019s staff has confirmed the congressman has issued his first subpoena to legally compel Weightman%u2019s testimony."

Just what is it that the Pentagon has to hide?

[springfever0]

The next shoe in this mess is beginning to drop. This week, Congress begins to investigate an arangement at Walter Reed in which a former Halliburton executive, who previously appeared before Congress and attempted to explain away over charging, etc. by Halliburton was given a sole source cost plus contract to provide maintenance services at Walter Reed and delivered only part of what he had agreed to. It appears that this contributed to the maintenence problems that they are now experience. He had previously failed to deliver on contractual commitments regarding Katrina but was hired anyways. Business as usual.

[springfever0]

It's time for General Kiley to go as well. He presided over Walter Reed during a period when things were deteriorating and nothing was done. After the problems were reported in the press, as Army Surgeon General, he tried to head off criticism with a preemptive press conference limited to friendly members of the press and then minimized the problem. His whiney press conference and his failure to step up to the plate as Secretary Gates out it, disqualifies him to continue in office.

[down-ndirty]

lars is a troll and not worth responding to.

troll: An individual who chronically posts specious arguments, flames or personal attacks to a newsgroup, discussion list, or in email for no other purpose than to annoy someone or disrupt a discussion.

Trolls are recognizable by the fact that they have no real interest in learning about the topic at hand - they simply want to utter flame bait.

Like the ugly creatures they are named after, they exhibit no redeeming characteristics, and as such, they are recognized as a lower form of life on the net, as in, %u201COh, ignore him, he's just a troll.%u201D Compare kook.

[karlimhof]

hey lars008

as usual you spew.... Walter Reed is an ARMY hospital, not a VA hospital-

your comments reek of bigotry and stupidity-

go over the Dukes site where you'll feel at home.

[lars008-2009]

ok skippy.... tell me when the va hospitals have not been c r a p..... they always have been...... but then what do you expect from socialized medicine...... and that is what you will get when the demonic-rats try to force socialized medicine on the usa..... all the hospitals will be c r a p like the va hospitals....

[nynative1340]

Here are some depressing facts about Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC):

"The typical soldier is required to file 22 documents with eight different commands %u2013 most of them off-post %u2013 to enter and exit the medical processing world, according to government investigators."

"Sixteen different information systems are used to process the forms, but few of them can communicate with one another. The Army's three personnel databases cannot read each other's files and can't interact with the separate pay system or the medical recordkeeping databases.

This complicated system has required some soldiers to prove they were in the Iraq War or the War in Afghanistan in order to obtain medical treatment and benefits because Walter Reed employees are unable to locate their records."

Much of the WRAMC controversy is focused on Building 18, a former hotel building just outside the WRAMC main gates.

The Army claimed to be "surprised" at the conditions, however, salon.com has run articles since Jan 2005.

1st Lt Goodrum was court martialed for seeking medical help elsewhere due to poor conditions at WRAMC.

Since the Walter Reed Army Medical Center is an Army hospital, the VA has very little, if any, control over it.

[karlimhof]

This problem has been highlighted by the thousands of wounded American troops coming back from Iraq since the start of the Bush War.

Without the Bush War - Walter Reed Hospital would surely have been under less stress and able to handle their normal work load.

It underlines again the total lack of preparation this administration has shown across the board; from war planning, to equipment, manpower, and healthcare - this illegal Bush War has created a malicious cancer throughout our Nations military establishment.

And it's all Bushes fault !

[alphaa10-2009]

Here is more of that incredibly persistent gulf between what Bush and minions say, and what they actually do. Ordinarily, this practice is called "prevarication", though some prefer to call it public relations.

As early as 2004, Bush, himself, was busy chiseling away at veteran's benefits. That Bush's hair might have been on fire at this latest scandal has nothing to do with righteous indignation, but everything to do with unrighteous indignation. Bush is simply tired of being caught in the web of his own deceits, incompetence and negligence-- he believes it might remind everybody of Katrina, or something like that

The problem is sheer neglect-- VA care has been left to heal itself. Even before the 2004 Bush cuts to veterans were suggested, the problem of adequate income and care for service professionals and their families was known to be at crisis level. Yet, for six years, Bush has done little for the very people often asked to be his glee club, applause machine and backdrop.

To a growing number of Americans, this suggests Bush has only disdain for the dwindling ranks of service people who don't suspect by now that he is a con man and political criminal.

[firststate]

It's a sad commentary on the way our government has been operated for 6 yrs. that even a hint of competence by a Cabinet Secretary or higher is both refreshing and news-worthy. When the level of competence required of the guy in the mail room is such a novelty that it stirs hope in the masses, it speaks volumes about the consistent incompetence from the lowest political appointees all the way up.

Secretary Gates deserves praise for 1.)recognizing a problem after a newspaper rubs his nose in it,
2.)realizing that it really is a problem,
3.)saying it's a problem instead of declaring it a success,
4.)actually doing something to try to correct it, and
5.)being the first Cabinet Secretary in recent memory to do his job the way the rest of us have to perform to keep our jobs instead of deluding himself that there was never a problem.

It's probably too late in the b-c years of incompetence to hope that his actions will start a trend toward competence, but we may hope that he won't be asked to resign because of his wanton display of some degree of competence. Gates' great advantage is that he's not rummy and that he spends some time in the real world.

It's generally agreed that 41 wasn't the greatest intellect to have that job, but he was smart enough to assemble an intelligent, capable group of advisers. His own brilliance evidenced itself in actually taking the expert advice he was paying them for. If only this acorn had fallen closer to that tree.

[h0rseracer05]

The Person responding with respect to the different agencies, DOD AND Dept of Veterans Affairs is absolutely correct. However the VA and its treatment of the Vet.is far from Stellar, none the less it's far from what it should be. You have to blame Congress and all past administrations. They've all have sold the Vet short. Also Bureaucracy again and again has failed to treat the Vet with the respect he deserves and yet they get paid every two weeks no matter what. When are the American People going to learn. Bureaucracy Perpetuates itself and when under attack has government attorneys to protect it. The time has come to hold all accountable that have failed the G.I.:(

Imagine the Congress of the United States standing up for America and forgetting their respective parties. What we've seen in our lifetimes is the Congress of the United States showing absolute disregard for the Country. It's all about the Political Parties. We may have defeated communism in the Soviet Union or have we just replaced it with Republicrats or Demopublicans..............We need a Political Party that really cares about the Mom, Country and the American Way. A Congress that will not Tolerate Treasonous Acts by Celebreties or Government Officials. Debate is one thing, giving Aid and Comfort to the enemy is another.:(