This McClatchy Newsservice article reports that the White House has backed down from a proposal to require veterans who have private health insurance to use it to pay for combat-related injuries. I have no argument with the decision to back away from this proposal, it was an ugly business that never should have seen the light of day.
What upsets me is that the people in the White House are so out of touch with the American people that they believed this policy could ever be acceptable. The military is the single institution in American society in which citizens have the most confidence, see this recent Gallup poll for details.
How could the President's people believe we would sit still for the government weaseling out of financial responsibility for combat-related injuries, injuries suffered by brave volunteers on our behalf? In what alternate universe do the President's policy people exist?
The most obvious explanation is that they exist in the alternate universe populated by the military-haters of Daily Kos, Huffington Post, and Hollywood. Which is to say, they have no clue how most of us think, what most of us believe. It will be a long four years....
