Walter Reed Anniversary Exposes More McCain D...( WASHINGTON Feb. 18 -- One year a...),Health

WASHINGTON, Feb. 18 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- One year ago today, the American people first learned about the dreadful conditions at military hospitals and outpatient facilities treating wounded soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Amid the national outrage sparked by those reports, John McCain saw an opportunity to bolster his presidential campaign. Days after the story broke, McCain blamed the scandal on former Secretary of Defense Don Rumsfeld, saying "the fruits of Rumsfeld's policy were on display at Walter Reed military hospital in Washington." [Atlanta Journal Constitution, 2/22/2007]

McCain failed to mention that the fruits of his own work were on display at Walter Reed, too. As a top Republican on the Armed Services Committee, McCain helped rubberstamp six years of Bush Republican budgets that consistently shortchanged veterans and military health care. McCain also failed to mention that he put his presidential aspirations ahead of our veterans and wounded warriors by voting against Democratic proposals to increase funding for military and veterans' hospitals by eliminating some of President Bush's tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. Despite McCain's finger-pointing his rhetoric about Rumsfeld's mismanagement, McCain failed to mention that he had consistently refused to join calls for Rumsfeld to be fired.

"John McCain's double-talking, say-anything-to-win campaign strategy shows why America's veterans and military families simply cannot trust him in the White House," said Democratic National Committee spokesman Damien LaVera. "The Maverick McCain who used to stand up for his principles has been replaced with a more shameless version that will do anything to appease the right wing of his party, even if it means promising four more years of President Bush's failed policies."

McCain & Veterans' Health Care

McCain Has Repeatedly Voted Against Increasing Funding for Veterans Healthcare to Keep Tax Cuts for
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