McCain’s pick for adviser troubling

Howard Kutchai Charlottesville
Published: October 11, 2008

On Oct. 1, in the Dome Room of the Rotunda at the Univer-sity of Virginia, there was a debate on health-care policy featuring a representative from each presidential campaign. John McCain was represented by Dr. William Winkenwerder Jr. who, starting in October 2001, served as assistant secretary of defense and leader of the military health system.

When the scandal over the failure of health care for injured veterans at Walter Reed Army Medical Center exploded in February 2007, Dr. Winken-werder declared: “This news caught me — as it did many other people — completely by surprise.” The next day, the White House announced that Dr. Winkenwerder would be leaving his post.

In the presidential debate on Sept. 26, John McCain passionately assured us that he would see to it that injured veterans were properly cared for. How ironic that his campaign is being advised on health care and represented to the public by a physician-administrator who bears major responsibility for the debacle at Walter Reed. 

This leads me to question McCain’s commitment to our health care and to our veterans. McCain’s hypocrisy on the well being of our veterans was previously demonstrated by his votes against increasing health care expenditures for veterans and against Sen. Jim Webb’s bill that expanded educational benefits for veterans.

We should judge Sen. Mc-Cain more on his actions and less on his campaign rhetoric.