OH-02's Rep. Jean Schmidt: Walter Reed Flap 'Overblown' By Pols And Press

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Ohio Republican Rep. Jean Schmidt says she toured Walter Reed Army Hospital and contends the furor surrounding reports of inadequate medical care for wounded Iraq and Afghanistan veterans is "overblown."

Schmidt, who represents the state's 2nd Congresssional District that includes a portion of Cincinnati and several counties on and near the Ohio River, issued a presser today. Her view is that the media and politicians concocted a scandal, a view that contrasts dramatically with that of Defense Secretary Robert Gates , who has ousted the Army Secretary and shaken up the top brass.

"I am disappointed that some in the Army have not adequately appreciated the seriousness of the situation pertaining to outpatient care at Walter Reed. Some have shown too much defensiveness and have not shown enough focus on digging into and addressing the problems."

That was Gates on March 2.

But Schmidt today describes the situation as "overblown by both politicians and the media." She talks about mold in Building 18, but doesn't mention that some severely injured vets were left on their own to figure out how to find follow up treatment for major wounds. That situation left them stranded without adequate care and rehab. Gates understood that the heart of the scandal was outpatient care and followup.

Some might see in Schmidt's remarks a sense that she doesn't completely grasp what the secretary of defense realized. Or she was attempting to gloss over a national disgrace. Read her words:

"While I believe that this building is beneath the standard of what is acceptable, I think it is wrong to suggest that mold found behind an air conditioner somehow is an excuse to say that all of our veterans are receiving substandard medical care. It is important to remember that the building in question is an apartment building, not a medical facility. Further the building was scheduled to be torn down within two years.

"There is no question that Building 18 should have been upgraded or not in use at all. Postponing Building 18's demolition and allowing its use for living quarters was a poor management decision, and the decision makers should be - and have been -- punished.

"Needless to say, Building 18 is now empty, and will be demolished.

"While I found the situation at Walter Reed to be overblown by both politicians and the media, I hope that future accounts will bring more light to the real issues. We need to do more to make sure that our veterans get the level of healthcare they desperately need. Which is why, in the supplemental bill the House will debate next week, there is $3.5 billion in new funding to improve the veteran healthcare system."

A link to Schmidt's Web site is HERE. Bottomline on Schmidt: She says veterans desperately need care, but that Walter Reed doesn't illustrate a broken or malfunctioning healthcare system because the reports there were hyped.

[UPDATE: BlueOhioan finds Schmidt's statement perplexing. I wonder what the Republicans who may run against her next year are thinking? Is it possible she opened the the door for a little early season Schmidt bashing?]

Cincinnati Enquirer Reader: Why No Walter Reed News?

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- The metro daily in Cincinnati wounded itself today by publishing a reader's letter that pointedly questioned the newspaper's judgment as a serious journalistic enterprise. The letter asked why a new broadcaster in the Reds' radio booth merited larger front-page importance than the medical mistreatment of injured Iraq War soldiers at the Army's biggest hospital. "Vets care outrage more important than baseball," was the headline over the Rev. John C. Karrer's letter to the editor.

"At a time when we are being told to 'Support the troops,' etc., I find it sad that the front page on March 2 had a big article 'Now Warming Up: Marty & Thom' about Thom and Marty Brennaman on Reds radio, and a very small item headlined "Soldier care at issue/Walter Red hospital chief fired.' At least we now know what is more important here in Cincinnati, and supporting our troops is way down the list."

But wait that's not the end of the story. There is a completely bizarre turn in the Enquirer's actions.

Rev. Karrer's letter of complaint about short-shrifting the news happened to appear on the same Opinion Page that carried a a six-column banner headline demanding superior treatment of wounded soldiers -- "Our injured vets deserve better." So the paper now appears to be jumping in and pounding the table on a topic it seems to have downplayed as a major news story.

"That is not right. We must do better. We can do better," the Enquirer says of the nation's responsibility to care for its wounded, adding that "How we care for our veterans is a national issue that is very much a local story in every community of the country, including our own."

But its news coverage of the scandal has clearly fallen short if Rev. Karrer is correct that The Enquirer blew it by opting for fluff over hard news. Is it guilty of incompetence and neglect? Is it just like the brass responsible for Walter Reed? Up until today, there seems to have been little interest in how veterans are cared for locally or anywhere else.