Military -- Honoring America's Veterans

May 26, 2009

by Faiz Shakir, Amanda Terkel, Satyam Khanna, Matt Corley, Benjamin Armbruster, Ali Frick, and Ryan Powers

MILITARY

Honoring America's Veterans

Yesterday President Obama observed Memorial Day in the tradition of sitting U.S. presidents, by placing a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery just outside Washington, D.C. Before the ceremony, a number of university professors petitioned the White House, urging Obama "to end a longstanding practice of sending a wreath to a monument to Confederate soldiers on the cemetery grounds." Despite their call to "break this chain of racism," Obama continued the Confederate monument wreath-laying tradition. But he may have started a new one, sending a second wreath to the African American Civil War Memorial honoring more than 200,000 blacks who fought for the North. Speaking before more than 4,000 veterans and family members at the Arlington Memorial Amphitheater, Obama paid tribute to the nation's fallen in his first Memorial Day address as commander-in-chief. "I cannot know what it is like to walk into battle," he said. "I'm the father of two young girls -- but I can't imagine what it's like to lose a child. These are things I cannot know. But I do know this: I am humbled to be the commander in chief of the finest fighting force in the history of the world." Speaking of those who chose to serve and those who made the ultimate sacrifice, Obama said, "They answered a call; they said 'I'll go.' That is why they are the best of America, and that is what separates them from those of us who have not served in uniform -- their extraordinary willingness to risk their lives for people they never met."

'WE HAVE FAILED' TO SUPPORT OUR VETS: In his weekly address, Obama acknowledged that "we, as a nation, have failed to live up" to "the responsibility" of serving America's veterans "as well as they serve all of us." "We have failed to give them the support they need or pay them the respect they deserve," he said, adding, "That is a betrayal of the sacred trust that America has with all who wear -- and all who have worn -- the proud uniform of our country...and that is a sacred trust I am committed to keeping as President of the United States." Indeed, according to a recent Center for American Progress (CAP) analysis, "many men and women who have served our country...are still in need of services to improve their quality of life -- before, during, and after deployments." Almost one in five Iraq and Afghanistan vets experience symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and yet only 53 percent of those suffering from PTSD or major depression have seen a physician. Attempted suicide and substance abuse rates among veterans have skyrocketed since 2003. More than 150,000 vets were homeless on any given night in 2007, with nearly 300,000 being homeless at some point during that year. Moreover, vets make up one-third of homeless Americans, even though only one-tenth of all adults are veterans. The economic downturn has hit vets hard as well. The CAP analysis notes that "foreclosure rates in military towns were increasing at four times the national average" last year. Additionally, "more than 75 percent of veterans report 'an inability to effectively translate their military skills to civilian terms.'"

A RENEWED COMMITMENT: During his Senate hearing to become Veterans Affairs Department Secretary last January, retired Army Gen. Eric Shinseki pledged to transform the department into a "21st-century organization" that meets the needs of a growing population of wounded veterans. "My message would be this: Treat our veterans with respect and dignity," Shinseki said. "They're not here begging for a handout," he added. Earlier this month, the Obama administration announced the VA's 2010 budget, which increases spending by 15.5 percent over 2009, "the largest percentage increase for VA requested by a president in more than 30 years." The centerpiece of the proposal is an 11 percent increase in funding for veterans' health care. Just last week, Shinseki announced a plan to provide $215 million "in competitive funding to improve [medical] services specifically designed for Veterans in rural and highly rural areas." Also last week, Shinseki addressed the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans national conference and announced that the VA is creating a national center on homelessness among veterans. "We have a moral duty to prevent and eliminate homelessness among Veterans," he said.

SECTION 60: In his address yesterday, Obama reminded Americans of the servicemen and women who have fallen in the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. "A quarter of a million marble headstones dot these rolling hills in perfect military order, worthy of the dignity of those who rest here," he said. "Today, some of those stones are found at the bottom of this hill in Section 60, where the fallen from Iraq and Afghanistan rest. The wounds of war are fresh in Section 60. A steady stream of visitors leaves reminders of life: photos, teddy bears, favorite magazines. Friends place small stones as a sign they stopped by. Combat units leave bottles of beer or stamp cigarettes into the ground as a salute to those they rode in battle with. Perfect strangers visit in their free time, compelled to tend to these heroes, to leave flowers, to read poetry -- to make sure they don't get lonely." "[I]t doesn't take being Commander-in-Chief to honor the fallen," Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America Executive Director Paul Rieckhoff said yesterday, adding, "This Memorial Day, I hope you add your own words of remembrance for the brave men and women that have heroically served this nation, and perished on the battlefield. It is the duty of every American to ensure that they are never forgotten."

RADICAL RIGHT -- DEFENDING HER DAD'S TORTURE POLICIES, LIZ CHENEY HAS BECOME OMNIPRESENT ON TV NEWS: On Friday, the Washington Monthly's Steve Benen noted that MSNBC was hosting former Vice President Dick Cheney's daughter, Liz, to offer analysis on her father's recent speech on national security. Benen pointed out that, "as part of a full-throated defense of her dad's torture policies, Liz Cheney has been all over the television news" in recent weeks. With help from Media Matters, Benen found that Cheney had made 12 appearances in nine and a half days across just four networks. Like her father, Cheney has used her appearances in the national media to push falsehoods into the torture debate. For instance, appearing on ABC's This Week on May 17, attempting to rebut allegations that her father had asked interrogators in Iraq to waterboard a detainee in order to get information about connection between Iraq and al Qaeda, Cheney claimed that the former vice president would never "substitute his own judgment for the professional judgment of the CIA." But this claim is contradicted by the fact that when the CIA told Cheney before the Iraq war that "there was no connection between al Qaeda and Iraq," Cheney and then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld "initiated a secret program to re-examine the evidence and marginalize the agency." Liz Cheney has become such a presence in the media that some conservatives are saying that she should run for office. Asked about this possibility, former Bush adviser Karl Rove responded, "She might!"

The California Supreme Court will rule today on the constitutionality of Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage in the state. "The justices will also decide whether the state will continue to recognize the estimated 18,000 same-sex marriages carried out in 2008."

President Obama will attend a fundraiser for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) in Las Vegas later today. Republicans have been targeting Reid's seat for 2010. Reid says he will raise as much as $25 million for his campaign.

A CNN poll released yesterday found that former Secretary of State Colin Powell is more popular than Vice President Cheney and Rush Limbaugh. While 70 percent of Americans have a favorable opinion of Powell, Cheney and Limbaugh are only viewed favorably by 37 percent and 30 percent, respectively. Even Republicans prefer Powell over Limbaugh, 64 percent to 62 percent.

Though President Obama vowed to "take action" in response to what he called North Korea's "blatant violation of international law," some of his aides "acknowledged that the administration's options were limited." According to the aides, much depends on Obama's "ability to persuade Russia and China to go significantly beyond the strong condemnations that they issued Monday against North Korea."

Hours after President Obama vowed to rein in the use of the "state secrets" privilege last week, "his Justice Department was criticized by a federal judge in California" for claiming the privilege in trying to shut down a lawsuit over warrantless wiretapping. Sen. Pat Leahy (D-VT) has sponsored a bill that "would empower federal judges to review sensitive evidence and test government assertions."

Sen. Leahy is "already trying to smooth" the confirmation process for Obama's Supreme Court selection. Leahy has offered to split evenly with Republicans the "additional funds available to the committee for the nomination process" despite the fact that Democrats hold a "majority on the panel."

Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons (R) has vetoed a domestic partners bill to give gay couples some of the same rights enjoyed by those who are married. Gibbons said, "I believe that because the voters have determined that the rights of marriage should apply only to married couples, only the voters should determine whether those rights should equally apply to domestic partners."

Obama is expected to announce later this week the creation of a cyber security czar who "will have broad authority to develop strategy to protect the nation's government-run and private computer networks." The position will "report to the national security adviser as well as the senior White House economic adviser."

Israel President Benjamin Netanyahu is attempting to compromise with President Obama on West Bank settlements, saying that "Israel would dismantle nearly two dozen wildcat settlement outposts...if the U.S. drops its objections to continued building in existing, government-sanctioned settlements." "The demand for a total stop to building [in the West Bank] is not something that can be justified," Netanyahu told his cabinet.

And finally: Project Runway's Tim Gunn, a native Washingtonian, had some high praise for Nancy Pelosi's fashion. "I've always celebrated Nancy Pelosi's style," he said. "What I love about her in particular is she's not afraid to say 'I'm a woman.' Her clothes show off her beautiful hourglass shape." He also wondered whether her style has had a "trickle down" affect on Capitol Hill to other members.

What if Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is telling the truth about Iran's nuclear ambitions?

Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI) objects to indefinite detention in a letter to Obama.

A preview the right-wing's likely attacks on Judge Sonia Sotomayor.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-CA) is apparently ready to eliminate nearly $100 million in AIDS prevention and treatment programs.

"They were beating me...until I was unconscious" at Bagram Air Base.

How do "safe havens" for terrorists matter?

The importance of planting trees to "fight global warming, save electricity, and clean the air."

Mapping the fallen on Google Earth.

"I have never felt that Guantanamo was this huge recruiting tool."
Fox News Chris Wallace, 5/22/09

VERSUS

"[T]here are serving U.S. flag-rank officers who maintain that the first and second identifiable causes of U.S. combat deaths in Iraq -- as judged by their effectiveness in recruiting insurgent fighters into combat -- are, respectively the symbols of Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo."
-- Former Navy general counsel Alberto Mora, 6/17/08

Think Progress

Honoring America's Veterans

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