Bush's 'Firsthand' Experience With War

President Bush, who claimed earlier this week that he understands the consequences of war "firsthand," shot at insurgents on the streets of Baghdad yesterday.

But only in virtual reality.

Bush tried his hand at a computer game designed for recovering soldiers during a visit to a private Texas facility for grievously wounded veterans -- a visit that he sandwiched between two big-donor Republican fundraisers.

Bush played the game out of view of reporters. But, according to White House Press Secretary Dana Perino, he "helped to shoot the bad guys" in a Baghdad neighborhood and saw several other "cutting edge virtual reality games," AFP reported.

Apparently, Perino didn't say how many people he killed.

In an interview on Wednesday with German television networks, Bush asserted: "I've committed our troops into harm's way twice, and it's not a pleasant experience because I understand the consequences firsthand."

Bush, of course, has no combat experience. And sometimes he gives the impression that he doesn't appreciate how removed he is from the horrors of war, and how different his situation is from those who bear the burden of his decisions. This would appear to be another such example.

Bush's Day in Texas

Deb Riechmann writes for the Associated Press that Bush used the visit to San Antonio's Brooke Army Medical Center to assert his administration's determination to mend the nation's veterans care system.

"'We have an outdated system that can bog down some of those recovering in a maze of bureaucracy and that's what happened at Walter Reed,' he said, referring to the Army medical center in Washington, D.C.

"Bush's visit to Brooke comes amid scrutiny of veterans' care and discontent among returning troops after extended tours in Iraq. . . .

"At the rehabilitation center, Bush stopped at a 'gait lab,' where amputees with protheses learn to walk on gravel, artificial turf and other surfaces. A pool with a simulated wave allows patients to practice their balance while riding tiny surf boards.

"Bush toured a physical therapy gym where two double amputees tossed a ball while balancing themselves on exercise balls. He talked to two servicemen with faces so burned that scarring had left them with mask-like expressions.