Lieutenant General Kevin Kiley, the U.S. Army’s surgeon general, has submitted his resignation, becoming the third official to lose his job after disclosures last month of substandard care for injured soldiers, the Army announced today.
Major General Gale Pollock, the current deputy surgeon general, immediately assumed the top post, the Army said in a statement. Kiley was the Army’s top uniformed medical official and commander of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington between 2002 and 2004. Walter Reed is the focus of the disclosed problems.
Acting Army Secretary Pete Geren asked for Kiley’s resignation yesterday, a senior Defense Department official who asked not to be identified told a group of reporters at the Pentagon.
Kiley, 56, was under intense congressional criticism for alleged leadership failures in allowing outpatient services and facilities at Walter Reed to deteriorate, until the shortcomings were exposed last month in stories by the Washington Post.
During a House oversight committee hearing last week, Kiley acknowledged gaps in care for casualties of the war in Iraq and other combat operations. The care and housing at Walter Reed “has not met our standards,” and is being corrected, Kiley said at the hearing.
It wasn’t just the incompetence. It was his staggering arrogance.
I usually love military commanders. I like their presence, their confidence, the fact that they are sharp and on the ball and straightforward.
This guy was just an insufferable prick. Adios, Kiley. You won’t be missed.
ThymeZone
I know it’s good for the Army and for the wounded soldiers, but ….
I hate to see a good insufferable prick lost like this. We’re a clubby bunch, really. The loss of one of us is felt by all. Damned few of us left.
{ sniffs }
{ clears throat }
Mike in SLO
Too bad those kind of commanders disagreed with Bush at some point and were forced out. Now we’re left with the not-so-sharp commanders who are willing to shill.
Jake
I wonder if Lt. Gen Kiley would say reports of his getting a long overdue boot out of the door are factual but don’t properly “characterize” his getting a long overdue boot out the door.
100% Wanker.
Faux News
After Darrell finishes weeping and gnashing his teeth on redstate and freerepublic for the Lihbrul ouster of Gen. Kiley, he is gonna unleash a large can of Whoop Ass upon Balloon Juice.
Shorter Darrell: “John Cole, why do you hate the US Army and its Surgeon General”?
jill
One could say the same thing about Bush, it wasn’t just the incompetence, it was the staggering arrogance.
Mr Furious
If Walter Reed was the frying pan, than this is the fire…
And, yes, Kiley is mentioned by name in this one too. They are so deperate to deploy “at full strength” in numbers that they are deploying soldiers nowhere near full-strength. They are sending people over there that cannot protect themselves or their fellow soldiers.
But it’s “Democrats who don’t support the troops.”
Hell ain’t fucking hot enough for these goddamn Bushies.
Zombie Santa Claus
The terrorists have won!
28 Percent
Liberal typicalness you are always going after Jonah Goldberg saying “if you say you support the troops why don’t you enlist” ont he one hand and now firing Lt. Gen Kiley on the other. What happned I thought you needed every soldier you could get? For all you badmouth Lt. Gen Kiley he is no worse a soldier than Jonah Goldberg would be but there you go showing your true colors again.
Richard Bottoms
>typicalness
What the fuck kind of word is that?
And yes, cowards like Jonah Goldberg should be mocked at every opportunity for not getting their asses down to the nearst Army recruiting station.
Pb
Great–and while we’re on the subject of insufferable pricks carrying water for the administration instead of doing their jobs, how about Gonzales, next…
Andrew
Well, they’re probably not going to allow another right winger with an 11 year history of hard core gay porn into the ranks.
Zombie Santa Claus
Why not? Apparently, he’d have plenty of friends. They oughtta start using that as a recruitment draw amongst College Republicans.
28 Percent
Why is it you say that I wonder? It sounds to me like you just say that because of an irrational hatred of everyone who disagrees with you. If Jonah Goldberg was in the army instead of being free to tell people why its important to keep fighting we might not have had the will to stay the course and then things would be much much worse.
How much worse?
So you just think about that.
Mike S
Kiley is an embarrassment. I can’t imagine any of the military men and women I know allowing that type of shit to go on.
The fact that he lasted as long as he did after this scandal broke may be an even bigger embarrassment.
Faux News
Rumor has it his 11 inches were AOL inches after all :-(
Another reason for Darrell to weep and gnash his teeth.
jill
Is 28 percent a spoof or a goof?
Mike S
One of the reasons I don’t read this site as much as before is because the spoofers are getting tiresome.
28 Percent
I do not know what you mean by “spoof” but I am not a goof. I do not know for sure whether or not the analysis in that link is good – I suspect it is not because it is a website by a woman and the Bible is clear about women not preaching the Bible but maybe she is reporting what her pastor told her I do not know. But still it is something to think about and it is important to remember that ACTIONS have CONSEQUENCES.
Anyway, it is definitely true that you are inconsistent if you are glad that Kiley is going but still think Jonah Goldberg should enlist. You say that Kiley was bad but like I said he was no worse than Jonah Goldberg would be and you still want him. Make up your minds, if you have them!
Gashira
Reading the responses on Redstate is generally comparable to watching a bunch of lemmings attempt to have a circle-jerk after jumping off a cliff.
Pb
Spoof confirmed. :)
Mike S
Spoof wins.
28 Percent
Think what you like, I do not care.
Zombie Santa Claus
Amen!
pharniel
y’know, i may not remember my bibble’n word for word, but I do recall something about the Anti-Christ being thought of as the holyiest of holy men, except to those who are really paying attention.
for my money dobson, bush et. al. certianly count, especially the praying on the street corner to demonstrate how ‘holy’ they are.
maybe that’s just me.
Punchy
Nice.
Jake
Instead of Be All You Can Be: Do All You Can Do.
Redleg
Screw Kiley- he’s a friggin’ Medical Corps REMF anyway.
82ndAbnVet
“A leader is responsible for all his subordinates do, or fail to do…”
Something they taught us back in the day… Unfortunetly, a standard the Army rarely holds itself too, unless of course you are an NCO. Glad to see they did so in this case, even if belatedly and only because of the media exposure
28 Percent
Thank you, Zombie Santa Claus. If you want to learn more, follow the link. There is some very insightful, thought provoking discussion there about whether so called “civilian casualties” may be part of God’s plan for punishing those who reject Him. There is also some good advice on the home page for helping women who are SAHM (Stay At Home Moms) learn to be better housekeepers. She says that a big key is to practice smiling.
Tsulagi
I’d put emphasis on the “MF” part of that.
I dunno, they could have made proper use of Kiley rather than telling him to resign. He could have done his part for OIF. Win hearts and minds by personally painting the exterior of Iraqi hospitals while waving to the newly democratized masses. Be another Cheney success story.
Scruffy McSnufflepuss
Good stuff, there. I’ll give it a thorough look-see.
ChristieS
Amen and pass the ammo. My DH is a former NCO and the horror stories I could tell…::sigh:: That’s a big part of the reason we’re “formerly” Army.