Walter Reed scandal claims another victim

March 2, 2007

Yesterday, Army Secretary Francis Harvey fired Maj. Gen. George Weightman as the head of Walter Reed, but inexplicably replaced him with Lt. Gen. Kevin Kiley, who was ultimately responsible for most of the scandal in the first place.

So today, Defense Secretary Robert Gates fired Army Secretary Francis Harvey.

Army Secretary Francis J. Harvey abruptly stepped down Friday as the Bush administration struggled to cope with the fallout from a scandal over substandard conditions for wounded Iraq soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

The surprise move came one day after Harvey fired the two-star general in charge of the medical center in response to disclosures of problems at the hospital compound.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Harvey had resigned. But senior defense officials speaking on condition of anonymity said Gates had asked Harvey to leave. Gates was displeased that Harvey, after firing Maj. Gen. George Weightman as the head of Walter Reed, chose to name as Weightman’s temporary replacement another general whose role in the controversy was still in question.

“I am disappointed that some in the Army have not adequately appreciated the seriousness of the situation pertaining to outpatient care at Walter Reed,” Gates said in the Pentagon briefing room. He took no questions from reporters.

Gates said a permanent replacement for Weightman would be announced by the Army later Friday.

In other words, Gates was sending a not-so-subtle message to Kiley: Don’t unpack, you’re not staying either.

My opinion of Robert Gates just went up considerably. As Atrios put it, “This is the first time in the entire Bush administration that we’ve had anything which even felt remotely like a genuine ‘accountability’ moment.”

There’s still time for these guys to screw it up, but if Gates is cleaning house and firing people, I’m extremely encouraged.

I hoping some memos or emails surface that indicate ultimate responsibility lies in the WH. Their compassion is more than a little suspect.

  • Wait, he fired Harvey for appointing Kiley, but has so far left Kiley in place? What’s the holdup on firing Kiley?

  • it sounds like gates has a little bit more sense than i gave him credit for. in fact, if only he could have a little man to moron chat with bush and cheney and teach them a few things about responsibility and accountability.

  • I strongly agree with you, CB. Gates is looking good imho. I refuse to let that fact color my view of anything else in this rotten administration, however.

  • I think it’s still all about PR, Kiley still has the promotion he got for doing such a horrible job at Walter Reed in the first place. All replacing Kiley as the temporary head of Walter Reed does is get him out of the firing line so they can hang on to him in his normal job.

  • Shalimar’s right; unless Kiley gets fired from his other — permanent — job as a payback for all he’ddone to Reed during his tenure, Gates gets no chocholates and roses from me.

    On top of which, it appears that Weightman wasn’t half as bad as Kiley; he at least tried to improve some of the situation. Wasn’t as good at cover-up as Kiley, though.

  • The Army later announced that Maj. Gen. Eric Schoomaker would become the new commander at Walter Reed, replacing Lt. Gen. Kevin Kiley, who spent just a day in the post after Harvey tapped him to fill in. Kiley, who’d served a previous stint at Walter Reed, drew objections from critics, who said he’d failed to confront some of the same problems that recently came to light.

    At least we know Schoomaker has the balls to make waves if necessary.

    I just want to see Bush and Cheney face down, bleeding out, with no worthwhile medical treatment.

    That’s not the same thing as wishing ill for a human being.

  • This is the first time I’ve seen any accountability from any of this administration’s members. It was Kiley all along. He perpetrated the callous bureaucracy in place at Walter Reed. What idiot would put him back in charge? I was surprised Gates acted so swiftly and decidedly to remove him. Actually I was astonished and my opinion of Gates now includes the feeling that he seemed genuinely concerned and caring. He showed good judgment and authority well used avoiding the usual rhetoric of what good jobs everyone was doing. Well done Gates

  • You’re ENCOURAGED ABOUT GATES?

    “Why would the Army fire the well-respected Gen. Weightman? They say it’s because they lost trust and confidence in him. It would appear, however, that it’s because they don’t want him testifying about the privatization that led to the terrible conditions at Walter Reed. Henry Waxman is trying to get to the bottom of it. And what would cronyism in Bush’s government be without…wait for it…Halliburton. (h/t Strawberry)”

    http://crooksandliars.com/

    Gates is a good soldier trying to cover up the CRIMES that Bushco has committed. You’re putting your faith in the Aftershave Commercial that Gates is expert at playing.

    Hope you like the U.S.-Iran War, because Gates is on board with the PNAC Military-Industrial Circus. He is NOT your saviour or a sign of change.

    THAT would be Rep. Conyers and Rep. Waxman. Unlike Gates, they DON’T work for Bush.

  • I think we’ll know shortly whether Gates is seeking genuine accountability or whether he’s covering up more BushCo crimes.

    How? Simple. If it is genuine accountability, Gates will be out of a job. If he’s just covering up, there will be gushing praise and smiling photo ops with Bush.

    • Comments are closed.