Sen. Schumer: "My fear is that Walter Reed is just the tip of the iceberg"

[Doondoo]

Lawmakers promised a quick response and sought an independent commission as they expressed outrage Sunday over the poor conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center for soldiers wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"I'm worried about if it's this bad at the outpatient facilities at Walter Reed, how is it in the rest of the country? Because Walter Reed is our crown jewel," said Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y.

In a letter Sunday to Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Sunday, Schumer asked for an independent commission, possibly headed by former Secretary of State Colin Powell, to investigate all post-combat medical facilities and recommend changes.

"To think that men and women are serving their country in the most honorable and courageous way possible and all we give them is a dilapidated, rat-infested, run-down building to recover is a disgrace," Schumer wrote. "My fear is that Walter Reed is just the tip of the iceberg, and merely highlights the pervasive and systemic mistreatment of our service members."

.......

Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., said the scandal is emblematic of the Bush administration.

"I believe this disgraceful neglect has been the result of two things. One is a lack of accountability," said Levin, who is chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. "Almost no high-level people have ever been held accountable until Secretary Gates came along."

Levin said the second factor "is the overoptimism which just symbolized this administration right from the beginning of this war, that the mission was accomplished."



http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070304/D8NLFUBO1.html

[SpiralHawk]

1. "Move along. There is nothing to see here." - Commander AWOL

"Smirk, smirk, smirk." - Commander AWOL

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

2. Vets who use local facilities need to write their congresspeople

if they have complaints--or perhaps better still, Congressman Waxman. My neighbor makes regular visits to the VA Hospital in Fayetteville, and he says the facility there has been upgraded recently. But that's just one hospital.

[Monkeyman]

8. Some VA's have been upgraded others are falling apart

Brothers and Sisters yes the Hospitals are ok. But they are understaffed and underfunded. Bush's budget will layoff 2500 nurses and Doctors are leaving. 151,000 of the kids home from Iraq denied health care or put on dam waiting list. There are Hospitals that have cut doctors visits. There are Clinics being shut down. Hell there are now 3500 homeless veterans back from this war. Yes my friends this is only the tip of the ice berg

[Justice]

3. chilling statement, but probably sadly true

[Hubert Flottz]

4. "Don't ask don't tell" anyone in charge about the veterans...

Sweep them under the MSM rug and invade the next country.

[tridim]

5. Everything is "the tip of the iceberg" with these criminals

Does anyone believe we have the whole story about Abu Gharib?

[acmavm]

6. We have a Veteran's Hospital here in Omaha but someone told me

that they've quit taking patients and now people have been referred to the Kansas City Vets Hospital, and that it takes months to get in.

Does any Nebraska Vet know if this is true or not????

[nadinbrzezinski]

7. I agree and I have told that much to my US Senators and Rep

in a letter

[DarbyUSMC]

9. The military court-martials Generals, why not the Commander in Chief?

Phooey on impeachment; which seems to be a disagreed upon concept. Court-martial the so called Commander in Chief on charges of dereliction of duty, sleeping at the switch, inciting a war, tearing the country apart, lying when knowing the truth, responsibility for over 3,000 deaths of service men and women and uncountable deaths of innocent Iraqi's, destruction of hundreds (maybe thousands) of homes and buildings, shirking responsibility regarding the wounded and their care and, due to all of these charges and more ...treason.

Just a thought.

[A Simple Game]

10. Why, yes, let's put Colin Powell in charge of the investigation.

It's not like he has a reputation for incompetence or covering up atrocities.

Good choice Chuck, you make me less proud to have you as a Senator almost every time I hear you.

[sdfernando]

11. Was thinking the same thing

Of all the qualified people to lead such a commission, Powell would not even make the list. I would love to see a qualified civilian hospital administrator, doctor, and nurse on this commission.