FOR MORE THAN A DECADE PETE ROSE denied he bet on baseball. He even wrote a book about it,“My Story,”which some called “My B.S. Story.” But last week, surprising everyone, he confessed he had bet on every game his team played. Rose hopes to be reinstated in baseball, boasting he’s done as much for the game as anyone. Actually he’s done as much for bookies as anyone.
This past week also marked the fourth anniversary of the Iraq war. This means we’ve been fighting in Iraq longer than in either of the World Wars. In a few days it will pass our Civil War. I’m haunted by former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld’s prediction, “It could take six days, six weeks, certainly not more than six months.” Or World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz’s estimate that the war would cost just $50 billion. So they were off by a mere 1,000 percent. Nobody’s perfect. Certainly nobody in this administration.
Meanwhile the nightmare in Iraq grinds on with no end in sight. Today there was a news report about a vet who committed suicide after being turned down for mental health treatment by the Veterans Administration He had been put on a waiting list and told to check back in three months. For more details I went on the Internet and typed “Iraqi war vet commits suicide." I discovered soldiers in Iraq are killing themselves at higher percentages than in any other war. One reason given was the high number of reservists with multiple tours of duty. I can barely tolerate multiple tours of watching it on TV.
My anger over the war reached the boiling point with the Walter Reed Hospital privati-zation scandal. It seems the Army awarded a $120,000,000 contract to IAP World Services, run by former Haliburton executives. (Surprise, surprise.) Why does a veteran, who has sacrificed body and soul for his or her country, have to be on a waiting list? It’s a national disgrace. Maybe next time a soldier is asked to go into combat, he should request to be on a waiting list and they could check back with him in three months? I say any vet who sees action automatically gets the same medical treatment as members of Congress, like Congressman Duke Cunningham or Bob Ney. (Bad examples, they’re in jail.) Okay, the vets get the same medical benefits as VP Dick Cheney. (And anyone Cheney inadvertently shoots in the face.) One of Bush’s hackneyed slogans is “support the troops." Waiting lists, complicated forms, mold on the walls, saggy mattresses and rats, doesn’t seem too supportive to me.
To some,supporting the troops meant you display a flag on your SUV’s antennae. That way when you drove around getting eight miles to the gallon, you at least showed your neighbors how patriotic you were. On TV last year, just before Christmas, I saw President Bush suggest a way to support the troops was to keep shopping. I shook my head in amazement and I reached for the remote.
Talking head Bill O’Reilly supports the troops with free copies of his book, but only if someone else buys a copy at full price. It would appear his support comes in the form of a “twofer." It could have been worse. He could have offered a free loofa with each book. Rush Limbaugh could offer free OxyContin or Viagra. (I apologize as I realize even the suggestion of Bill or Rush and sex in the same column is obscene.) Even more obscene is this war. After four years the “support the troops” chant from the neo-cons rings hollow. Our young men and women were sent to an ill-advised war, on a false premise. They were ill-equipped (lack of body and Humvee armor), ill-trained (too many reservists) and on a mission with no plan or exit strategy. Other than that, it was brilliantly conceived.
The General in charge of Walter Reed, the Secretary of the Army and Rumsfeld have resigned. Big deal. George Tenant was awarded the Medal of Freedom, Wolfowitz was promoted to head of the World Bank and Bush and Cheney haven’t been impeached... yet. Hey, that might be a real way to support the troops?
And now, in the latest of the Groundhog Day of scandals, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales may be on his way out the door. We’ve learned Bush refers to him as “Fredo." Didn’t George outgrow mean-spirited nicknames at the fraternity house? Apparently not. Bush’s “compromise” is his advisors can be interviewed but not under oath. It sounds like an advance warning that they’ll be lying.
Speaking of lying, if Pete Rose doesn’t get reinstated in baseball, maybe he could be the new Attorney General? Sure, he hasn’t ever prosecuted a case, but neither has Gonzales. Charlie Hustle and W have baseball in common. I think they’re a perfect fit.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 23, 2007. Read the original PDF.