Statement by John Edwards Criticizing Bush For Not Standing By Our Veterans

Chapel Hill, North Carolina – Senator John Edwards released the following statement today criticizing President Bush for failing our veterans.

"President Bush's visit today to the Veterans Affairs Medical Center just before going on vacation in Crawford is another example of 'too little, too late.' The president cannot hide his terrible record for our heroes with a photo op. The Bush Administration has failed our veterans. There currently is a backlog of between 400,000 to 600,000 disability claims. The VA has consistently failed to plan for the massive increases in veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder - today, over 30% of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. A VA deputy undersecretary admitted in 2006 that the waiting lists render mental health care 'virtually inaccessible.' Now, the same administration that has left so many veterans out in the cold, and that has refused to end the war in Iraq that has led to so many terrible injuries, has begun to talk openly of a draft.

"Even though the Pentagon is now denying it, Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute, the Bush Administration's new 'War Czar,' recently suggested a draft may be necessary. That a draft is even being talked about reveals the true danger of the administration's breathtaking failures in Iraq and around the world. Our all-volunteer force has helped make America what it is today, and talk of a draft is a profound measure of how much President Bush has failed our brave men and women in the military, and the American people.

"We need a dramatic change in direction. On Memorial Day weekend, I presented the American people with a plan to restore the 'Sacred Contract' we have with our service members, their families, and our veterans, that would fully fund the VA and target the 'signature injuries' of Iraq and Afghanistan -- post-traumatic stress injury, traumatic brain injury, and polytrauma.

"Today, I am expanding my commitment to our veterans. We need to stand by our heroes as they stand by us. The current Administration has a woeful record when it comes to our veterans. As president, I will fundamentally change direction with a sweeping effort to reform veterans' care, resolve the administration's awful backlog, attack the signature injuries of this war, like post-traumatic stress disorder, and solve the bureaucracy that plagues our veterans. These steps will bring justice to our veterans' care. And I call on all Members of Congress - Republican, Democrat, and Independent - to speak with one voice, and say 'no' to a draft."