Walking The Walk

The latest from John Edwards...

The growing scandal at Walter Reed Army Medical Center has shocked the conscience of this nation. But the national crisis in military and veterans' health care only begins at Walter Reed.

All across this country, far too many of our national heroes are faced with similar nightmarish treatment: filthy living quarters, impenetrable bureaucracy and substandard care. And Veterans Affairs has a backlog of 400,000 unprocessed benefit claims.

Despite all this, President Bush's most recent budget proposal calls for serious cuts to veterans' health care in the years ahead – just as the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are causing skyrocketing demand.

We cannot wait until the next election to address this national disgrace. So today, I've launched an urgent petition to Congress, calling on them to do whatever it takes to guarantee the quality care that every single veteran and service member deserves.

Congress is holding hearings on this issue this week and they're carefully gauging the public reaction. It's absolutely critical that we show Congress massive grassroots support for real, system-wide change – right now. Will you add your name today?

Click here.

In the normal game of headline-driven politics, the specific scandal at Walter Reed Medical Center would cause a few high-profile resignations, some very public hand-wringing, and then would fade away – leaving the larger problem untouched.

But it doesn't have to be that way. This week, as Congress holds hearings, we can show them that thousands of their constituents—military and civilian alike—demand nothing less than quality care for every single soldier, sailor, airman, Marine and veteran in this country. They must understand that this scandal will not be over—this crisis will not be resolved—until we have achieved exactly that.

We ask so much of the men and women we send into harm's way. Every single one has volunteered to leave behind family and friends, put their lives at risk, and do whatever it takes to get the job done – all because their country said, "we need you."

It's time to tell our injured soldiers and our veterans that America still needs them. We need them to be healthy enough to care for their families. We need them to be active enough to share their courage and wisdom with future generations. And most of all, we need them to know that we honor their sacrifice – and we will not let them down.

Please add your name today.

Sincerely,

John Edwards

And by the way, kudos to the Edwards campaign for deciding not to participate in the candidates debate sponsored by the Nevada Democratic Party, the one that will supposedly be moderated by Fox “News.”

(Make sure you tune in for "fair and balanced" coverage of the Libby verdict, by the way – I think the screen shot of Brit Hume is pretty funny.)