The Left and the DBM have seized on ONE BUILDING that is part of Walter Reed Hospital and is in the process of making it sound to everyone like the ENTIRE facility is one big roach motel.
Bullsh*t.
The place is a world class hospital bar none.
The advances made in treating wounded soldiers on the battlefield and once they return stateside couldn not IMHO have been made anywhere else but maybe Bethesda.
Something the media is NOT telling you is that Walter Reed is scheduled to be closed within the next two years...everything moved to Bethesda and a new hospital built here at Ft. Belvoir to augment Bethesda.
This was all public knowlege in the last round of BRAC hearings.
But lets look at what I see is the real reasons behind the "problems" at WRACH.
To me it goes back to the gutting of the military from 1993 - 2001. When we went from 17 down to active combat divisions...400 THOUSAND military members shown the door. Back when Soldiers were applying for food stamps and welfare...readiness levels for divisions falling below 75%
Budget cuts don't just affect the beans and bullets...it hits places like WRACH too. They have to do the best thay can with the money allotted to them in the defense budget. If you need 4 doctors to fully staff a floor but the budget only allows you to pay for two...what do you do?
But you won't hear any of this from the Congress Critters decrying the deplorable conditions at Walter Reed.
Why incriminate yourself in the alleged conditions of the place when it's far easier and expedient to bash President Bush?
We started the WoT with a $56 billion dollar shortfall in equipment thanks to the prior administration...the shortfall in healthcare for the soldiers was just as great...only we don't find out about it until something like Iraq and Afghanistan popped up.
Maybe they should have been but one can see if you have a certain amount of money an out patient facility in one building may have been decided to be left and money used elsewhere seeing as the facility was closing anyway in 2 years.
Great post, only quibble I have is this. You only hear about it when a rabidly partisan press can use to attack a President from the other party. A Dem in the White House and you would hear not a word about it.
Great post, tx.
You have it all nailed, perfectly.
I noticed the other day that Pres. Bush selected some of the wounded troops from Iraq to serve on the commission with Bob Dole.
I like that he is getting the ones from THIS war...and not a bunch of old geezers that want face time.
Even Bob Dole said today that he was reluctant to do this until Prs. Bush said that this was not just a commission to "write a report in 90 days and get on TV"...but a commission to actually see what needs to be done, and authority to call for those changes.
However, I am sure that Dole is aware of the BRAC studies..he just didn't get into it with Stephy today.
Brilliant post and it should be echoed over an over. Drooping 400K Soldiers is key to everything.It should never be forgotten and who did it.
re: WRMC
Amen, did my knee perfectly.
You can forget about Clinton being brought up too much, I guess Webb is there to lend 'credibility' to the situation and slide his Reagan wanted to cut the Navy meme.
Funny how all the members of the Armed Services Comm. now say they tried and they failed. If they really want to see something, check the attendance and the briefings set up for them... that they didn't attend.
They also will not mention the two year holdup on HR76 as backmail for their 'pet' projects.
When will someone get a spine a craft legislation for the troops, VA and medical care alone?
Do you know how many earmarks and special interest gimmes are on there? From levees to peanut industry... you name it. They dangle it to be knocked down and scream 'he' doesn't care about the troops cause he didn't sign it.
Meanwhile... from the cave, the spineless representives on the hill are saying nothing and they should have ten bills on the floor as well (I know, time factor). I tell you what, the libs wouldn't get anything for their states until they passed ONLY the appropriations the troops need over there and here on a narrow bill.
Those states who like to protest as tanks are shipped out, whose governors, representatives (who usually have hands in defense contracting and aerospace big time, see Murtha, Pelosi and others), would have a rude awakening re: funding for their states re: illegals or anything else.
Time for W and the reps to put the hammer down.
Even Imus didn't let Schumer get off:
http://imusblog.com/senator-schumer-i-have-not-been-to-walter-reed-since-the-start-of-the-war/
Great post! It never ceases to amaze me how Democrats can cause problems, then try to blame Republicans or anyone else they can blame to avoid taking responsibility for their actions.
Dont forget that Building 18 was leased and is not on WRAMC proper. Wartime needs result in expansion which was handled to the low standards of the bureaucracy. I was a patient there in the 80's and it wasn't a great organization. Bethesda was much better.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/17/AR2007021701172.html