Bush's Final Spin, Part 1

In less than 48 hours, President Bush will leave office amidst a recession, rising unemployment, and a struggling safety net. So what is Dubya up to these days?

Well, patting himself on the back, of course.

This is not a new phenomena; departing presidents almost always attempt to embellish their record. But, as Consortium News pointed out, Dubya is twisting his record past the point of exaggeration and telling outright lies (I guess old habits die hard). Last week, the White House released two reports: "Highlights of Accomplishments and Results of the Administration of George W. Bush" and, my personal favorite, "100 Things Americans Might Not Know About the Bush Administration Record." Both contain claims that are extremely laughable, groan-inducing, and some even made me sick to my stomach.

The first mind-boggling assertion that stood out was that the Bush Administration "provided unprecedented resources for veterans" over the past eight years, including "the highest level of support for veterans in American history." He even claims to have "reduced the number of homeless veterans by nearly 40 percent from 2001 to 2007."

In reality, however, Bush's lack of care for veterans after serving in the armed services has been abysmal. He was quick to send our service men and women into war, but he has been painfully slow in ensuring they are cared for after having served.

As I wrote earlier this month, many veterans are ending up on the streets while waiting for a decision from the VA on their disability claim:

It takes between six months and two years for a returning war vet to learn if they qualify for disability benefits. If they wish to appeal the decision, they must wait an average of four-and-a-half years for a decision, according to a recent Miller-McCune article. The backlog of unanswered VA disability claims has grown from 325,000 to more than 600,000 since the start of the Iraq war. And In the six months ending March 31, 2008, a total of 1,467 veterans died waiting to learn if their disability claim would be approved [outraged emphasis is mine]. 

I would hardly call that "unprecedented resources."

And although Bush is claiming to have reduced homelessness among veterans by 40 percent, many states are already reporting increased numbers of homeless veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In addition, Vietnam taught us that the ill effects of PTSD or traumatic brain injury may not be evident right away. So given that the VA operates at a snail's pace, many grassroots-level homeless service workers expect the real influx of homelessness among vets from Iraq and Afghanistan to come several years down the road.

In other words, homelessness among veterans will likely become much worse, not better, thanks to Bush's neglect of veteran's needs while in office.

But the most unsettling thing about this report is Bush's willingness to pat himself on the back when over 200,000 veterans are sleeping on the streets. How can Bush claim to have provided "the highest level of support for veterans in American history" when the reality is that one out of every four homeless people in this country is a veteran? 

That, my fellow Americans, is shameful.