Comments on: Despite E-mails, VA Boss Denies Cover Up

Michael Kussman, the VA’s Under Secretary For Health, Denied Any Wrong Doing During VA Lawsuit

[starleo146]

Thanks to the two-year investigation by the New York Times, we today know that Victoria Clarke, then the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, launched the Pentagon military analyst program in early 2002. These supposedly independent military analysts were in fact a coordinated team of pro-war propagandists, personally recruited by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, and acting under Clarke''s tutelage and development.

One former participant, NBC military analyst Kenneth Allard, has called the effort "psyops on steroids." As Barstow reports, "Internal Pentagon documents repeatedly refer to the military analysts as ''message force multipliers'' or ''surrogates'' who could be counted on to deliver administration ''themes and messages'' to millions of Americans ''in the form of their own opinions.'' %u2026 Don Meyer, an aide to Ms. Clarke, said a strategic decision was made in 2002 to make the analysts the main focus of the public relations push to construct a case for war."

[starleo146]

avid Barstow of the New York Times has written the first installment in what is already a stunning exposi of the Bush Administration''s most powerful propaganda weapon used to sell and manage the war on Iraq: the embedding of military propagandists directly into the TV networks as on-air commentators. We and others have long criticized the

widespread TV network practice of hiring former military officials to serve as analysts, but even in our most cynical moments we did not anticipate how bad it was. Barstow has painstakingly documented how these analysts, most of them military industry consultants and lobbyists, were directly chosen, managed, coordinated and given their talking points by the Pentagon''s ministers of propaganda.

[starleo146]

Pentagon Propaganda: So Much Worse Than We Thought

By John Stauber and Sheldon Rampton, PR Watch. Posted April 25, 2008.

The Bush Administration has spent millions on deceptive PR to sell the war, as recently documented in the New York Times. Where''s the fallout?

[mjvw2]

A perfect example of the bureaucratic garbage we will all get with government health care. VA IS GOVERNMENT HEALTH CARE. Be careful what you wish for.

[csmith1948]

Heck of a job Kussy!

[terrapin78]

...and why the First Lady insists on becoming a co-anchor of the Today show!
Posted by walt1944 at 12:57 PM : Apr 25, 2008


What?

Now I know I will never watch the Today Show!

[redbds]

Of all the agencies that I have ever had to deal with, I think that the VA is the worst. When veterans file claims for disability with the VA their policy is to deny benefits and hope that you won''t appeal. They are definately not in business to help veterans.

[mjvw2]

I did not have *** with that woman

[mjvw2]

A perfect example of the bureaucratic garbage we will all get with government health care. VA IS GOVERNMENT HEALTH CARE. Be careful what you wish for.

[stn_sage]

It sounds to me like Dr. Kussman couldn''t recall a few key things. It sort of reminds me of a former Bush administration who had a similar problem---one Alberto Gonzalez, former attorney general!

And, ofcourse, we all know how innocent he was, don''t we?! But, if you''re part of a conspiracy by falsifying records, filing false reports, lying to Congress, possibly mistreating patients, lying to relatives, etcetera---all things that might have been done in the name of expediency---then, you TOO, would tend not to recall certain things---particularly things like these! It''s understandable.

[tibu987]

It is time for a complete overhaul of the VA.
From the lackadaisical employees who seem to have time for everything except taking care of the vets.
From the top, the decision makers who decide that a vet who has lost a quarter of his brain and head and is given a 10% disability.
And, for the VA hospitals that have a higher death and MRSA rate than all other hospitals.
Etc., etc., etc.

Our vets deserve nothing less than the very best care that this Country can give, NOTHING less.
And, it is our duty as appreciative Americans to see that our vets get the very best of everything.
Write the President, your senator, your congressman and tell them.
I do.

[cyberus-2009]

----
Although copied on e-mails discussing how best to cover things up, the head of the VA cannot recall reading any because he gets so many. Perhaps those of us who have car loan, mortage, and credit card agreements should contest the validity of these documents with the story that we don''''t remember signing them!

Posted by walt1944
----
Nice idea .. too bad thats like saying you didn''t pay a bill because you didn''t get it in the mail. All these things are one way ... if the gov''t or a business drops something in regular mail and you don''t get it thats tough, we sent it you''re responsible, on the flip side if you send something to THEM you dang well better send it certified with return receipt and be prepared to go there in person with the receipt to prove you sent it if they lose or otherwise misplace it.
This joker will most likely slide under the same principle, prove I got it.

[mswolfestock]

This article and the broader issue of veterans'' inadequate health care should be discussed with every teenager who might want to join the military. Nobody tells them that the VA will forget and forsake them after they risk their lives to feed their families.

[walt1944-2009]

The VA is attempting to perform damage control regarding e-mails which flatly state the VA should be covering up rising suicides rates among returning combat vaterans.

Although copied on e-mails discussing how best to cover things up, the head of the VA cannot recall reading any because he gets so many. Perhaps those of us who have car loan, mortage, and credit card agreements should contest the validity of these documents with the story that we don''t remember signing them!

At any rate, it is believed that the Great Emperor Bush II will intervene, as he usually does, in such matters by expressing full support for the head of the VA and its work, but in the sanctity of the Oval Office, will tell the head of the VA to resign OR ELSE!!! The Great Emperor will then replace the newly departed head of the VA with someone more incompetent than he was!

The problem thus "resolved", the Great Emperor will move on to other issues such as pondering why his engaged daughter, Jenna, will not support a Fascist Nazi Republican in the general election, and why the First Lady insists on becoming a co-anchor of the Today show!

SIG HEIL, BUSH!!!!
sig heil, (more of the same) McCain!!!

[dowjones20k]

just another politcal appointee doing what them and thier buddy''s do best ...

I cant recall ....

VOTE THEM ALL OUT !!! and FIRE ALL OF THE OTHERS !!!

[inventagod2]

Despite signing off on torture, Bu$h denies torture...

Administration is disgusting from top to bottom.

[bobnjersey]

[In response, Kussman said he did not %u201Crecall%u201D the message. He said, %u201CObviously I%u2019m [copied] on the e-mail but I get [copied] on a huge number of e-mails everyday.%u201D ]

i''m sorry senator ... i have no recollection of that email (conversion, incident, meeting, statement).

isn''t this the ken lay(enron), bernie ebbers(worldcom), and dennis kozlowski(tyco) defense?

[liberalme]

Up the proverbial neocon river of--de-nile.

[forthepeopl1]

Under Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson%u2019s .. Former leadership at
Goldman Sachs, the company has been instrumental to its penetration of Western
capital and other markets. - - Henry Paulson was vastly effective in Communist
China%u2019s .. Interests and enabling their access to Western economic assistance
and high technology

In late January 2006, Goldman Sachs purchased a stake in the Industrial and
Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), China%u2019s biggest bank, for $2.58 billion
Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson''''''''s .. Personal stake .. In this transaction
was $25 million

A PERSONAL BAIL OUT for : Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and His
Criminal Friends

(