Walter Reed 'Tip of Iceberg'; White House Vows to Do Very Little

by Jordan Yerman | March 6, 2007 at 05:01 pm

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So Bush's answer to the Walter Reed hospital scandal, in which wounded veterans are mistreated or ignored, is to conduct a "full inquiry".

In other words, form a panel to tell us, a year from now, what we already know: that the White House neglected to care for soldiers wounded and maimed in a White House-led invasion. In still other words, put the whole messy affair on the back burner until the next Anna Nicole Smith comes along to distract the public once again.

Senators vowed Tuesday to consider all options to fix a broken system of caring for wounded troops.

The promise came as President Bush said former Sen. Bob Dole and former Health And Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala will lead the administration's investigation into problems at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

"The war in Iraq has divided our nation, but the cause of supporting our troops unites us," said Sen. Carl Levin, D-Michigan, who chairs the Armed Services Committee. "We will do everything we can possibly do -- not as Democrats or Republicans -- but as grateful Americans -- to care for those who have served our nation with such honor and distinction." (Watch emotional testimony about Reed's problems Video)

As his panel questioned top defense officials, Levin also used the revelations of bad conditions and outpatient care at Walter Reed to take a swipe at Bush's war polices.

"Today's hearing is about another example of the lack of planning for a war that was premised on the assumption that combat operations would be swift, casualties would be minimal, and that we would be welcomed as liberators, instead of being attacked by the people we liberated," he said.

Levin's panel convened the second congressional hearing in two days regarding the poor conditions at Walter Reed. Reports of wounded troops battling excessive red tape and dilapidated living conditions have enraged Republicans and Democrats, who say they are worried that problems at Walter Reed point to a broader problem of neglect across the nation at military hospitals.

Meanwhile, Bush told an American Legion audience that had chosen bipartisan leaders -- the GOP's Dole and Shalala, a Democrat -- to head the White House probe.