Bush Hypocritical on Veterans

In his Memorial Day speech at Arlington National Cemetery, President Bush describes himself as being “in awe of the men and women who sacrifice for the freedom of the United States.” It is hard to believe his sincerity when viewed in relation to his own military record, his questionable rationale for sending Americans into a preventive war, giving higher priority to tax cuts over Kevlar vests and vehicle armor and, especially, for signing legislation that radically degrades veterans' benefits.For example, with the help of the votes of Reps. Frank LoBiondo, R-2nd, and Jim Saxton, R-3rd, President Bush has passed legislation that denies the National Guard and Reservists the same medical insurance that the regular military gets and increases the costs of veterans' health care. Veterans in most parts of the country now must travel farther for treatment as well as pay more for one-time charges and copayments for treatment and medication.President Bush also signed the bankruptcy law, passed with the votes of LoBiondo and Saxton, that does not exempt Guard and Reservists who have been forced to seek relief while serving extended tours in Iraq and have been unable to cover their small business expenses and mortgage payments.If Bush really wanted to honor Americans, not just those in the military, he would have insisted that the campaign against Osama bin Laden, al-Qaida and the Taliban be pressed until most of them were captured, killed or reduced to ineffective fringe groups. Had we invested in Afghanistan the resources we diverted to Iraq, one could reasonably conclude that Afghanistan might today be the model of democracy that Bush has been desperately seeking to establish in the Middle East. Nick Reina , Milmay Published June 8, 2006 in the Atlantic City Press