U.S. Sen. Patty Murray seized on a KOMO-TV report that aired yesterday which said Dino Rossi had criticized VA hospital spending as “reckless.”
On a conference call with reporters this afternoon, Murray—along with three vets—trashed Rossi (one vet said “War is Hell” adding that he was “appalled” at Rossi’s apparent position). Sen. Murray said: “Caring for vets is a cost of war, and I will not tolerate anyone saying that [VA] spending in reckless.”
Murray is the senate champion for VA spending, famously fighting the Bush administration in 2005 to add an extra billion dollars as vets started coming back from Iraq. Referring to her fight with Bush over the funding, Murray called Rossi’s position “deja vu” (which also echoes the Democratic message that voting for Republicans is a return to the Bush years.)
Rossi campaign spokeswoman Jennifer Morris says KOMO misquoted the Rossi camp. “That was never said.” Morris explained that Rossi thinks government spending “in general”—including the health care bill, the stimulus package, and the Wall Street bailout—is reckless and jeopardizes “worthy” programs like VA spending.
She says the Rossi campaign has asked for a correction on the story and says KOMO is re-airing the story tonight. We have a call into KOMO.
Ultimately, score this one for Murray. She is a leading advocate for VA spending (check those earmarks!) For example, she stopped the Bush administration from closing VA hospitals in Vancouver and in Walla Walla in 2003 and 2004 respectively. (One of the vets on the call said “there wouldn’t be a VA if it wasn’t for Patty Murray.”)
All this scrap does is highlight that she’s leading—in the Rossi camp’s own words— a “worthy” cause.
