So Congress is going to hold hearings on sub-standard health care at the outpatient clinic at Walter Reed. Democrats and Republicans alike are outraged. And so am I.
Democrats are doing what they can to paint every Republican, and especially the President in a poor light based on this scandal. I really don't care. The facts are this has been going on for a very long time: While Republicans were in control of Congress and while a Democrat was President. Soldiers get injured in peace-time as well as war time and the level of care that should be granted them should be the same in either case: Most Excellent.
There is little dispute that the Hospital itself offers first rate care. But the outpatient facilities, which is the focus of this investigation, should be first rate as well.
This is clearly not the case now. Reports of sub-standard housing: bugs, black mold, buildings that are falling apart. ''It wasn't fit for anybody to live in a room like that. ... You've just come out of recovery, you have weaker immune systems. The black mold can do damage to people," [Spec. Jeremy] Duncan said.
And it's not just the facility. According to this NPR report, Chris Ryan father of severely wounded Marine Eddie Ryan, the staff was uncaring to put it kindly. This is unacceptable.
All of us who served understand that the bureaucracy of the military is the least effective aspect of the armed services. We accept that and know that if it wasn't for the leaders, the officer corps and most especially, the NCOs, our military couldn't win a single battle. But the level of bureaucratic bullshit that allowed this to go on goes beyond what we grudingly accept.
What's worse is it's not like we don't know how to do it right. The Center for the Intrepid just opened to patients at Brooke Army Medical Center. It's a $50 million, state-of-the-art rehabilitation center. But tellingly
It was all made possible by some 600,000 Americans who donated to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund for the center, which is staffed by the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments.
OK. So now we know the problem. And we know the solution. We will say past Congress's didn't know. But now we do know.
OK. So we'll allow Democrats their political pot shots and we will allow some hearings to they can bloviate and revel in their political windfall.
But at the end of the day, a day that had better come damn soon, they had better do something. They had better find every sub-standard VA hospital in the country and allocate funds to fix it.
Now. Right away.
And not one more American serviceman or woman had better be subjected to anything but the very best. I don't care if you have to move everyone out of the outpatient center and put them in the Hilton while you tear down the old building and put up a new one. Fire every nurse and therapist that was uncaring to the heros in whose presence they should have been honored to be. Get people who care.
But they had better do something now.
And if they do nothing, or wait too long, trying to get people to believe that the Executive branch can do the job without the funds provided by Congress in order to improve their political prospects in 2008, I swear by everything I hold sacred I will do everything in my power to destroy the political career of everyone involved.
So take your pot shots. Be pissed and indignant for the cameras.
But you had better do something about this very, very soon.
