A National Disgrace

Robert Bazell has an article on MSNBC about the shameful medical treatment our soldiers receive after returning from Iraq.

The reason is clear. From the onset of the war, the government failed to acknowledge the cost of treating so many badly wounded. The news that centered on filthy building No. 18 at Walter Reed Army Medical Center only highlighted a tiny part of a nationwide system that needs a vast overhaul.
Much of the medical care for wounded Iraq vets remains a national shame. The mental problems caused by either brain injury or post-traumatic stress will be a legacy of this war for decades.

Let's just make sure that the blame for this falls into the proper lap.

George W. Bush has used and misused out military for the past 6+ years and he continues to abuse it. There are numerous examples of the republicans cutting veterans benefits.

Bush had even threatened to veto a budget bill that increased the spending for veterans benefits above what his administration had requested.

The president, though, has backed away from his veto threat of the politically sensitive bill to fund veterans' programs. It exceeds Bush's request by $4 billion, or 7 percent, but the president acquiesced when GOP lawmakers made it clear that with troops overseas, they were not interested in squaring off with Democrats over spending for veterans.

George Bush is only interested in using our troops as a photo opportunity backdrop. He and the republicans have wrapped themselves in the flag and accused anyone who didn't support our troops of being unpatriotic or even treasonous while they were screwing them over.

The way Bush, the republicans in congress, and the military itself has treated our wounded and damaged troops is despicable. And there is only one word that describes them:

Bastards.

Jim Martin