AP spin on Walter Reed privatization scandal

[suffragette]

It looks like the spin has been decided on for excusing the role of privatization in causing the problems at Walter Reed.

An AP article by Donna Borak is being carried in papers and on news sites under various titles and subtitles.

The ABC version for it is : "Walter Reed Deal Hindered by Disputes: Deal to Privatize Walter Reed Maintenance Was Delayed 3 Years as Staff Woes, Repairs Worsened" http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=2961698

Other titles I noticed on Google news are: "Walter Reed deal hindered by disputes," "Squabbles hurt Walter Reed," and "Bureaucrats bickered as soldiers suffered." http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ned=us&ie=UTF-8&q=borak&btnG=Search

These titles are all using phrasing from the article itself to form the title. And what are these titles and the article indicating? That the problems at Walter Reed stem from the Army, Congress and even, you guessed it -- Clinton, rather than from IAP and the privatization of maintenance functions.

From the article

" An Army contract to privatize maintenance at Walter Reed Medical Center was delayed more than three years amid bureaucratic bickering and legal squabbles that led to staff shortages and a hospital in disarray just as the number of severely wounded soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan was rising rapidly. "

Note how this paragraph blames the staff shortages on "bureaucratic bickering and legal squabbles" rather than noting that the staff were leaving because of the pending privatization.

"IAP finally got the job in November 2006, but further delays caused by the Army and Congress delayed work until Feb. 4, two weeks before the Post series and two years after the number of patients at the hospital hit a record 900."

Ah, poor IAP "finally got the job" and they are apparently blameless since the further delays are blamed on the Army and Congress.

"IAP spokeswoman Arlene Mellinger said "it was up to the Army to decide when to begin that contract." The company was ready to start at any time, she added."

So, IAP says it wasn't them and that statement is allowed to stand, in some cases closing the article. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/308027_walterreed19.html

The article does note the Halliburton connection and Bush's outsourcing, privatizing initiative, but it minimizes these. Nowhere does it state how IAP mishandled other contracts such as the ice shipments that were supposed to be delivered to New Orleans (much less the many problems at KBR and Halliburton where IAP owners were previously employed/trained.

This article looks to me to be a strong attempt to shift the blame away from IAP and the privatization of government offices, which to me is the real problem here. I find this very troubling.

edited for an accidental smiley - apparently the : and D were too close to each other

[ThoughtCriminal]

1. Well for starters

Up until January 2007, who was in charge of Congress and the Army?

...Duh...

[suffragette]

2. Yes, that is an important point

But I think it is also important to note the role that Bush's privatization scheme to his buddies has played in all of this. They have taken previously effective agencies and gutted them and this is the result.
In this article, instead of being held to account for that, that part is glossed over.

[blm]

3. America's corporate media is the PR Dept for the global fascists and they will always

put the best face possible on the privatization efforts of BushInc.

[GreenTea]

4. Corporations are never better...they ALWAYS cut corners in favor of more profit!

Fuck everything and everyone else, cutting corners will create more profits.

[suffragette]

5. Yes, and the dismantling of effective govt

by outsourcing the jobs of civil servants and privatizing agencies and functions is at the heart of this situation, but you'd never know that from the AP story and I think that was done on purpose.