What's Worse?

In a press conference recently the President had this to say:

But here's my point: Either they knew or didn't know, and what matters is, is that they're there. What's worse, that the government knew or that the government didn't know?

-Pres. Bush, press conference, 2/14/07

Eloquent as always. His point, I guess, is that a bad situation exists and that the Iranian government should be held accountable whether or not it ordered the Quds force into Iraq. In Pres. Bush-speak, “They’re evildoers if they ordered it and evildoers if it happened and they didn’t know about it.”

On a somewhat related matter:

• Soldiers Face Neglect, Frustration At Army's Top Medical Facility
• The Hotel Aftermath

Briefly, blown up, shot or otherwise wounded soldiers live in Army facilities with torn walls, black mold, rotted ceilings and mouse feces. They are systematically shortchanged or denied medical and disability benefits after they have sacrificed life and limb for Pres. Bush’s misadventure. That is exactly how this administration, “Supports our troops.”

The Secretary of Defense, Robert M. Gates says, “I’m shocked, shocked.”

I want to start by saying that like many Americans, I was dismayed to learn this past week that some of our injured troops were not getting the best possible treatment at all stages of their recovery, in particular the outpatient care … I'm grateful to reporters for bringing this problem to our attention, but very disappointed we did not identify it ourselves.

Remarks by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Adm. Edmund Giambastiani, 2/23/07

I’m sorry, but that’s a lie. Sec. Gates is giving the impression that he had no idea what was going on, that he first heard it from reporters. The Scooter Libby defense, if you will. Maybe he should spend a little more time getting briefings from his own Inspector General. The IG is in the midst of a “yearlong” study to identify problems and provide solutions for our veterans. So far they’ve found, “87 problems” and come up with a 30-day plan of correction. The Army Times, however, has been reporting on these problems since June 2006.

So Mr. President, if I may, “What's worse, that the government knew or that the government didn't know?”