Obama quietly visits wounded vets at Walter Reed

By Paddy


No fuss, no fanfare.

WASHINGTON—Barack Obama stopped by Walter Reed Army Medical Center Saturday to visit wounded war veterans, a group that he has said endures substandard care under the Bush administration.

The presumed Democratic nominee, who was in Washington to speak to the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, slipped into the facility shortly after 9 a.m. without stopping to speak to the small group of reporters who follow him. The visit wasn't on his public schedule.

Obama has criticized the Bush administration for its treatment of veterans returning from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and has suggested Republican rival John McCain would continue Bush policies if elected.

(snip)

Obama, who serves on the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, often notes that his grandfather served in World War II.

He criticizes McCain for opposing an expansion of the GI bill that would guarantee which would guarantee full college scholarships for those who serve in the military for three years. McCain and Pentagon officials say they oppose the bill because they fear it would encourage people to leave after only one enlistment during a war.

Picture is from Obama's 2006 trip to Kuwait.