Washington – Senators vowed Tuesday to consider all options to fix a broken system of caring for wounded troops as President Bush named former Sen. Bob Dole and former HHS Secretary Donna Shalala to 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-Mich., 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.”
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 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 he had chosen bipartisan leaders – Dole and Shalala – to head the White House probe.
“We have a moral obligation to provide the best possible care and treatment to the men and women who served our country,” Bush said. “They deserve it, and they’re going to get it.”
Dole was a longtime Republican senator from Kansas and one-time GOP presidential candidate, and Shalala headed the Department of Health and Human Services during the Clinton administration.
At Tuesday’s Senate hearing, David Chu, personnel chief at the Pentagon, also promised action.
“I’m deeply chagrined by the events that bring us to this hearing this morning,” Chu said.
Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., said Congress might need to revisit an earlier decision to close Walter Reed in light of the increasing number of wounded troops from Iraq. Sen. John Warner, R-Va., said lawmakers should examine the oversight process, which failed to unearth problems.
