Bush Calls for Vets Commission in Rare Early Radio Address

President Bush announced in his weekly radio address that he will name a bipartisan commission to investigate the conditions at the country’s military and veterans hospitals.

The announcement comes in response to the recent reports of squalid conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington and public outcry over the treatment of wounded soldiers after they return from the battlefield.

The President called the "bureaucratic delays and living conditions" that some troops at Walter Reed have experienced "unacceptable" to him and to the country, vowing to put a stop to them.

"This country has a moral obligation to provide our servicemen and women with the best possible care and treatment. They deserve it, and they will get it," Bush declared.

The President’s weekly radio address is scheduled to air at 10:06am each Saturday morning.  The White House releases the text on Friday evening but reporters are not permitted to use it until the following morning (it’s considered "embargoed").

In a rare move, however, the White House released the audio and text of this week’s radio address early and allowed reporters to use it before it airs nationwide Saturday.  This guarantees a full day of coverage today and the announcement can be used in Saturday morning’s newspapers. This unusual release signals the urgency the White House sees on this issue and its recognition that it’s a critical problem that could become a political nightmare for them.

The bipartisan commission will conduct a comprehensive review of the care provided to wounded servicemen and woman, the President outlined.  He soon will announce the members of the commission and set a firm deadline for them to report back with recommendations.

"This review will examine their treatment from the time they leave the battlefield through their return to civilian life as veterans, so we can ensure that we are meeting their physical and mental health needs," President Bush said.

White House Spokeswoman Dana Perino acknowledged Friday that the President, who makes frequent visits to Walter Reed to visit with wounded troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, was unaware of the level of problems at Walter Reed before the recent reports came out in the Washington Post.

Perino said the President spoke to Defense Secretary Robert Gates and they realized that there was a "serious problem that needed to be handled quickly."