The Edwards Iowa Bus Tour kicked off today. John and Elizabeth Edwards will be on the bus for seven days and 31 counties in Iowa this week.
Today John Edwards announced a "Standing by Our Heroes" plan to reform the Veterans’ Administration and make it easier for injured veterans to get the care they need. In addition, Edwards called on the Iraqi parliament to end their four-week vacation and get to work.
More after the fold.
John Edwards is kicking off the bus tour of Iowa in Des Moines this morning. Today he will be in Des Moines, Perry, Jefferson, Carroll, Denison and Onawa, Iowa.
This morning, Edwards announced a plan to help returning veterans.
"Elizabeth and I are looking forward to this tour and talking to thousands of Iowans about the challenges we face and our determination to fight for One America where everyone has a chance to succeed," Edwards said. "This will be a great opportunity to hear from the people of Iowa, and to ask for their support in this effort to bring about the real change our country needs. One of those changes is the way we treat the men and women who have served and sacrificed in Iraq and Afghanistan. It’s time we had a president who will take responsibility, and make sure that bureaucracy never gets in the way of veterans getting the care they need and deserve."
Day One of "Fighting For One America" Bus Tour
This is not just rhetoric; John Edwards has real solutions: a 5-point plan to help returning service men and women with disabilities by:
Processing the backlog of disability claims that exists when he takes office by Memorial Day 2009, and cutting the average processing time in half.
Fixing the disconnect between the Department of Defense and the VA by launching a broad effort to coordinate all DOD and VA functions and by only having the VA make disability determinations.
Hiring at least 300 more VA caseworkers and implementing an accelerated and targeted training program for them, including family outreach.
Providing each service member with a comprehensive, standardized medical examination immediately upon leaving the service, and linking that examination with the service member’s disability rating.
Facilitating care for "signature injuries"—post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI), by increasing capacity within the Department of Defense for recognizing and addressing these injuries, increasing counseling resources, permitting access outside of the networks, and ensuring outreach to family members, who can help recognize symptoms.
John Edwards’ 5-point Plan
Edwards also called upon the Iraqi Parliament to end their month-long vacation early. There are more than 30 American soldiers that have been killed in Iraq so far this month, while the Iraqi Parliament is on vacation:
"This month is on pace to have one of the highest casualty rates since our troops have been in Iraq," Edwards said. "Our troops aren't getting a vacation; they are fighting it out in the streets of Baghdad. There is no military solution to the mess in Iraq. We need a political solution and we need the Iraqis to take responsibility for their own future. That can’t happen while the Iraqi Parliament is on vacation."
The American soldiers in Iraq get no summer vacation. Edwards is right. Meanwhile, all we get is silence from Bush and Cheney about the Iraqi Parliament's summer vacation.
Another thing about the tour of interest to me is the use of cleaner fuel:
We are using B20 biodiesel, a cleaner fuel, to run our bus--and clean money to fuel our campaign.
Ed Fallon, a Democratic candidate for Governor of Iowa in 2006, reports from the tour:
The event is still about a half hour away and already hundreds of Iowans have packed into the parking lot out in front of the office to greet John and Elizabeth and rally with them as they launch this exciting tour.
It's clear from all the excitement outside that Iowans feel the same way I do about John – he's the best candidate in this race not only because he's put forward the most specific and progressive proposals for providing universal health care, addressing global warming, and bringing an end to the war in Iraq, but also because he has the courage to focus on issues that others simply ignore – like eradicating poverty in America.
Follow the tour here
Fallon served as a member of the Iowa General Assembly from 1993 to 2006. Fallon is a former organizer for Iowa Citizen Action Network and founder of the Clarion Alliance, a non-profit focusing on peace and conflict resolution issues.
"John Edwards is the only candidate who has offered progressive solutions on everything from universal health care to solving the global climate crisis," Fallon said. "He has been a strong and clear voice on ending the war in Iraq and bringing our troops home. He also has the backbone to stand up to the big corporations and the courage to tackle problems that other politicians simply ignore – like ending poverty in America. John Edwards can and will lead our party to victory in November 2008."
Here's the schedule if you are in Iowa:
Bus Tour Schedule
If you like this, consider a donation:
We are using B20 biodiesel, a cleaner fuel, to run our bus across Iowa – and clean money to fuel our campaign. Help keep our bus running on cleaner fuel and our campaign fueled with clean money. John Edwards does not take money from D.C. lobbyists or political actions committees – so he is depending on people like you to fuel this campaign.
Donate here if you want to help:
Clean Money, Cleaner Fuel