Veterans pile on Bush

Fire fighters were first to the punch, but veterans are not far behind -- the top official of the American Legion blasted Bush for cancelling $275 million to reduce backlogs at the nation's veteran hospitals.

[American Legion National Commander Richard Santos] recalled how Bush, as a presidential candidate, pledged to the Legion's 2000 national convention that he would, if elected, "work with Congress to raise the standard of service not just for veterans, but for our military retirees."

Now, said Santos, "we feel we've been let down. A verbal promise in front of 6,000 people is something you have to keep."

What was Rove thinking? Granted, you underestimate Rove at your own peril, but why kill a terrorism-related bill providing much-needed funds for fire fighters and veterans -- two of the moment's most beloved constituencies. Didn't they expect veteran groups and fire fighters to line up and blast Bush? Rove and Co. seem to think it's still 9-12, when no one dared challenge the president. Those days are long gone.

Jeez. Talk about giving empirical support to Joshua Marhsall's Washington Monthly piece, "Confidence Men: Why the myth of Republican competence persists, despite all the evidence to the contrary."

Posted August 15, 2002 10:25 AM | Comments (2)