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As reported in the March 3 story, “Rove, Pelosi both in Denver to rally party loyalists,” White House political adviser Karl Rove asked, “How can you say you support the troops and yet you want to deny the funds necessary to do the job and protect them in battle?”
Just eight years ago, on May 19, 1999, 40 Republican senators actually voted to withdraw funding from 5,600 American troops in the field in Kosovo.
So I suggest that Rove ask this question of his fellow Republicans, and, while he’s at it, he can also ask them how they reconcile “supporting the troops” with the disgraceful treatment of troops at Walter Reed Hospital, which is a direct result of the Republican administration’s budget policies and incompetent management.

Dan Danbom, Denver

READER COMMENTS

Kosovo, wasnt that the six month deal that was set up by the Clinton administration? It had to do with somthing like ethnic cleaning. Why are those troops still there and no plan to bring them home? Oh I forgot that is not a war but just a police action that has gone on too long. Sorry dan this is a very weak statement and the condition of Walter Reed didnt get that way in six years.

Gosh Earl, are lots of people being killed in Kosovo? I had not heard about that. B,b,b,but Clinton, is a seriously stupid argument.

Lots of people were being killed in Kosovo until US-led NATO forces stepped in and put a stop to the killing but that does not matter because it was Clinton who organized it, which makes it very, very bad.

Of course, no one wants to deprive or has proposed depriving the troops of what they need to protect themselves, although President Bush has been playing that game for some time.

I don't think we support our troops when we send them to fight the wrong enemy, that is, the insurgents who are killing each other, rather than the real enemy in Afghanistan, where things are getting worse because of President Bush's inability to admit he screwed up. Bush 's incompetent policies are what have given rise to the insurgents. He wants the surge to see if he can clean up the mess he made.

Hey Earl,

The mess at WRAH came about under the watch of private firms contracted to do the work at higher expense than the government could do it for.

This is a perfect microcosm of everything wrong with our current administration.

Higher cronies in the name of "privatisation", spend more money, and get worse results.

Clinton's action in Kosovo (voted to defund by Rs) stopped a genocide.

Bush's war in Iraq has started one.

Hey 11:57
Since we are trying to be specific here......... Since when was WRAMC been downgraded to WRAH?

So you are saying that private firms are to blame because of the current Admin? So are you blaming the current Admin for the mess created in the downgading and elimination of other AMCs during the early 90's? This is NOT new. This is government in action.

Are you telling me groups like DEH (Dept of Engineering and Housing) within our military installations do a much better job? Again this is not attributed to any Admin. This is govt at its "best"

This is a "re-do" of other hospital changes, downgrades, and closings in the past.

Lets be clear here, this is "conservative" government in action. You put a party in charge that believes government should be virtually eliminated and this is what you get when you leave them to run the show.

That being said we as a country have a long history of screwing our veterans, no matter who is in charge of the government.

Flim. Yes the current issue is this Admin. In the 90's it was a different admin, not the conservative one. Both are to blame. Lets face it. Through your postings, I am making the assumption you tend to vote democrat. Where possible I vote libertarian. I do not trust either party to help.
It is true that the current majority of conservatives are not living up to the commitment of less govt. That is a shame. The majority of govt related programs are an insult to the citizens.
The "show", regardless of who is in charge, is in deep trouble.

Michael: "Every POTUS has the right and the Constitutional power and authority to deploy US troops where they feel they are needed and in the interests of the USA."

Thank goodness that is not the case. Hopefully, it never will be however much Bush advocates it. You could not get a single member of Congress or a single recognized statesman, or politician, to agree to such a wild-eyed statement. While it's a little scary to think that there are people who believe that way, they form such a marginalized fringe extremist group that they really don't pose a problem.

bwr, I respect the libertarian philosophy and even agree with it in certain instances.

My point would be thats its absolutely crazy to put a party/group in power who regularly spouts about the evils of government and then expect them to run a government well. In effect this administration has driven our federal government off a cliff and now conservatives complain that "see government doesnt work".

It's all Clinton's fault no matter what.

If Clinton did it too, it must be OK.

This from the group that was going to restore diginity to the Whitehouse.

Flim I am not willing to let the Dems off the hook here or in the past. I dont think Govt has worked for awhile and both parties are to blame as far as I am concerned. Too easy to "defer" problems to either party based upon a person's political leanings. Especially if those "leanings" are skewed too far to either side.

C'mon join the dark side. Be an equal opportunity political hater :)

"You could not get a single member of Congress or a single recognized statesman, or politician, to agree to such a wild-eyed statement. " - jfl

Newsflash jfl....I am correct. What do you think is currently being played out in the Congress right now???? The US Congress KNOWS that Pres Bush has every legal authority - not to mention the Senate Resolution from October 2002 thrown in for good measure - to send and keep US troops in Iraq for as long as he wants. The only "check and balance" power they have is to cut off funding for those troops. They cannot demand that the President pull them out - or rather they can, with NO BINDING AUTHORITY.
It is you who seem to have very little grasp of how our Constitution divides up the powers and gives the Commander-in-Chief the SOLE authority to deploy and use the military. Congress can declare war all day long...or not. But ONLY the POTUS can send them anywhere.

My question for Mr. Rove is 'Have you lost weight?'

Oh, I hate both political parties, I just tend to lean democrat.

My thinking is that there is some things that government does better than private enterprise and vice versa. Having a for profit group run certain things in our society produces more problems than it resolves. Privatization is not the answer to everything.

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