Democrats Call Walter Reed Scandal "The Katrina Of 2007"

Democratic leaders are trying to deepen the administration's problems by portraying the revelations about shoddy medical care for wounded soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center as another example of bad management and overall neglect by the Bush team.

Senator Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts says the administration failed to plan adequately for the Iraq war "and now they're failing those who have sacrificed so much." Senator Chuck Schumer of New York says, "This is the Katrina of 2007," referring to the Bush administration's slow response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Democratic strategists say they expect the revelations about Walter Reed to haunt the White House and, with their assistance, the GOP right through the 2008 election. On the other hand, administration officials point out that new Defense Secretary Robert Gates moved quickly to correct the situation.

He fired Army Secretary Francis Harvey and demoted the commander of the Walter Reed facility and others, and President Bush swiftly named a special commission to investigate the problem.

By Kenneth T. Walsh