On 3/19/07, Ann Coulter, through the Universal Press Syndicated column, published her opinion of the conditions of Walter Reed medical facility problems with mold, rats, etc., by blaming who else, the Democrats!
http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/opinions/ci_5473292
"Unless U.S. Army generals are supposed to be spraying fungicide on the walls and crawling under beds to set rat traps, the slovenly conditions at Walter Reed are not their fault. The military is nominally in charge of Walter Reed, but - because of civil service rules put into place by Democrats - the maintenance crew can't be fired."
She goes further and ask, why doesn't any news agencies investigate the Head of janitorial services at Walter Reed.
Let me disclaim her quickly on that assertion.
(1) Janitors do not do pest control, nor dig into walls to fix leaky pipes that causes mold. For that, you need facility services.
(2) Walter Reed's military management has neglected the maintenance. Private bidder and the management caused the delay in maintenance.
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/usworld/news-article.aspx?storyid=78197
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2007/03/19/squabbles_stalled_walter_reed_maintenance_contract_for_years/
"Squabbles stalled Walter Reed maintenance contract for years
...Documents from the investigative and auditing arm of Congress map a trail of bid, rebid, protests, and appeals between 2003, when Walter Reed was first selected for outsourcing, and 2006, when a five-year, $120 million contract was finally awarded.
The disputes involved hospital management, the Pentagon, Congress, and IAP Worldwide Services Inc., which has powerful political connections and is the only private bidder to handle maintenance, security, public works, and management of military personnel...."
"...IAP is owned by a New York hedge fund whose board is chaired by former Treasury secretary John Snow, and it is led by former executives of Kellogg, Brown, and Root, the subsidiary spun off by Texas-based Halliburton Inc., the oil services firm once run by Vice President Dick Cheney...."
*So it turned out, Ms. Coulter is bad mouthing a maintenance crew at Walter Reed that was protected by the Democrats' "civil service rules", but there was actually NO such maintenance crew. Walter Reed had 1 private contractor in charge of maintenance.
