Burr Tells Tammy Duckworth to Cool Her Heels
In its usual class act, the Gang of Nope is holding up the nomination of Iraq Vet and amputee Tammy Duckworth as Public Affairs Director of the Veterans' Administration. If the title of this post made you wince, you are among those who know that through service in Iraq the decorated veteran lost her legs, and has no heels to cool. Duckworth received a Purple Heart on December 3, 2004 and was promoted to Major on December 21, 2004 at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, where she was presented with an Air Medal and Army Commendation Medal.
The VA has been particularly ill served by wingers who continually profess respect for the troops while restraining themselves from any actual support. Now they are delaying putting together staffs to serve the public which they obviously detest.
The appointment of Adm. Shinsecki who was fired by the past maladministration for giving realistic estimates of what force would be needed for the Iraq invasion already embarrassed the forces against public interest. This additional provision of real knowledge and experience is just frosting on the cake of their deserved humiliation, and is no doubt causing consternation among those battlers against reality-based services.
Senator Burr holds John Edward's former North Carolina seat subsequent to the 2004 election due to an epochal infusion of PAC money, therefore needs to be prominent in fronting for the most disreputable positions of GOPervs. Owing party effort is a characteristic of the Senators who put holds on such publicly supported moves as this. (His hold is reminiscent of that on access to public papers of previous presidents by Tennessee's secure Senator Bunning.) Now Burr's becomes the public face on harassment of nominees who are needed to rebuild a destroyed executive branch, but who are too estimable for the Nopers to want in place. A presence such as former IL Vet chief Duckworth inspires public trust and esteem that obviously galls the wingnuts.
Of course, the contrast of an honorably serving wounded warrior with gasbags who prefer to slither through using their office to obstruct benefits to those warriors could not be more stark. Hopefully the veterans' groups will not allow this to go unnoticed.
Service to our country has been demanded by the wingers, while they make every attempt to make that service its own reward. They like to bask in glory, while promoting funding not for those who serve, but for those who profit from their service.
Formerly this was known as war profiteering.
The VA has been particularly ill served by wingers who continually profess respect for the troops while restraining themselves from any actual support. Now they are delaying putting together staffs to serve the public which they obviously detest.
The appointment of Tammy Duckworth as assistant secretary of U.S. Veterans Affairs stalled Thursday, just before the Senate took a two-week spring recess.
The action was taken by Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina, the ranking Republican on the Veterans Affairs Committee.
Duckworth, who served in the Iraq war and is a major in the Illinois National Guard, testified before that committee Wednesday. The Hoffman Estates resident was Illinois veterans affairs director under ousted Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
The Senate panel was not expected to meet on Friday, according to David Ward, Burr's press secretary.
The delay in Duckworth's appointment has to do with the fact that Burr had received three questionnaires with three different versions of the answers from her, Ward said. He characterized the forms as FBI background information that every nominee must provide.
"We are waiting on one definitive answer from Major Duckworth," he said. "We have no complaint against her, we are waiting on the necessary paperwork."
(snip)
"How dare Sen. Burr needlessly delay the nomination of a war hero like Tammy Duckworth to perform critical duties at the Department of Veterans Affairs," Jon Soltz, chairman of VoteVets.org, said in a statement.
He said the department is overloaded with troops coming home.
Duckworth had planned to be sworn in Friday at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, where she underwent rehabilitation after losing both her legs in 2004 in Iraq when a rocket-propelled grenade hit the helicopter she was piloting.
The appointment of Adm. Shinsecki who was fired by the past maladministration for giving realistic estimates of what force would be needed for the Iraq invasion already embarrassed the forces against public interest. This additional provision of real knowledge and experience is just frosting on the cake of their deserved humiliation, and is no doubt causing consternation among those battlers against reality-based services.
Senator Burr holds John Edward's former North Carolina seat subsequent to the 2004 election due to an epochal infusion of PAC money, therefore needs to be prominent in fronting for the most disreputable positions of GOPervs. Owing party effort is a characteristic of the Senators who put holds on such publicly supported moves as this. (His hold is reminiscent of that on access to public papers of previous presidents by Tennessee's secure Senator Bunning.) Now Burr's becomes the public face on harassment of nominees who are needed to rebuild a destroyed executive branch, but who are too estimable for the Nopers to want in place. A presence such as former IL Vet chief Duckworth inspires public trust and esteem that obviously galls the wingnuts.
Of course, the contrast of an honorably serving wounded warrior with gasbags who prefer to slither through using their office to obstruct benefits to those warriors could not be more stark. Hopefully the veterans' groups will not allow this to go unnoticed.
Service to our country has been demanded by the wingers, while they make every attempt to make that service its own reward. They like to bask in glory, while promoting funding not for those who serve, but for those who profit from their service.
Formerly this was known as war profiteering.
Labels: Dirty Tricks, Republican Lying, Veterans' Administration
posted by Ruth at 9:00 AM
2 Comments:
Too bad Sen Burr, born in '55, was born just a little too late to have the chance to have his legs shot off, had he deigned--unlike so many of his class--to enlist...
I detest a chickenshit chickenhawk worse than almost anything...
The things that are required of their candidates kind of limit the quality they get to bottom or below bottom for the Base. And I agree, this type that professes respect for the troops and sends them out to kill and die for them while they gas on is sickening.
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