Upstate Blue has a great post describing the complete and utter failure of Republican Rep John McHugh (NY-23), until last year the chair of a subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee dealing with military healthcare. 
The scandal and national disgrace surrounding the care received by some wounded veterans at Walter Reed Medical Center, the "crown jewel of military medicine", has garnered much attention in recent weeks and a number of high ranking folks have lost their jobs. This is as it should be. But, will there also be accountability for the man who was responsible for Congressional oversight of military healthcare? How clueless (or indifferent) was McHugh? In 2004, he and his subcommittee took a one day tour of Walter Reed. They didn't even issue a report. "Support the troops", my ass.
Howie Klein had this to say about McHugh:
For one thing McHugh has a perfect voting record when it comes to health care for veterans and active militray personnel-- a perfect zero. In recent years there have been a dozen roll call votes on health care issues for our vets and military servicemen and McHugh voted against their interests every single time.
Clint from Watertown says McHugh "was in charge of the oversight committee for the well being of our troops at Walter Reed and all the medical facilities in the system. He failed our men and women in those facilities and he failed his constituents and he failed America. If he were in Japan, he would have commited sepaku. In our part of the world, if he was a man he would resign."
Several of McHugh's constituents, North Country Democracy for America, are planning a peaceful demonstration on March 17 to help expose his incomptenece and callousness. In 2002 McHugh was returned to Congress without opposition. In 2004 anti-war activist Robert Johnson opposed him and got 29% of the vote. Last year Johnson took 37% of the vote. Let's call that a trend-- in a marginally Republican district. Johnson forced McHugh to spend three-quarters of a million dollars to retain his seat, far more than he's ever had to spend before. It isn't unreasonable to assume that when folks in the North Country, regardless of politics, find out about McHugh's role in this shameful affair they will agree that it is time for their rubber stamp congressmen to bounce into an entirely different line of work.
Agreed. |
