Why does the Bush gang hate vets from Illinois?

This piece from The New York Times shows that Iraq war vets from Illinois are not getting fair treatment from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Part of the problem, you see, is that the agency is headed by political hack Jim Nicholson, a former national chairman of the Republican Party who once referred to Dick Cheney as "one of the most qualified, beloved people in America."

Nicholson took over at the V.A. in 2004 upon the resignation of Anthony Principi, who had enjoyed the confidence of veterans organizations but who apparently had pissed off the Bush administration by telling Congress that his agency was short on funds to deal with the effects of the war in Iraq. Principi was shown to the door.