On the eve of a Senate confirmation hearing for a new secretary of veterans affairs, two key lawmakers warn they want to be convinced that the Bush administration's pick for the job is going to fight for veterans.

    Retired Army Lt. Gen. James Peake has "an impressive resume," said Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., but what she really wants to know is whether Peake will "show us he has the courage and honesty to take on this administration and stand up for veterans."

    Murray sits on the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee that will question Peake Wednesday. She's also a member of the Senate Democratic leadership, and one of the Democrats' leading voices on veterans' issues.

    Sen. Bernard Sanders, I-Vt., another veterans' committee member, said he wants Peake to explain, in particular, how VA is preparing for the long-term cost of treating Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans.

    "It is wrong for any veteran in this country to walk into the VA and be put on a waiting list," Sanders said, noting that the VA had problems serving the veterans' population even before the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

    The situation has only become "more desperate" since the war in Iraq began, he said.

    Peake is a former Army surgeon general who was an infantry officer before he became a medical officer. President Bush lauded that background when nominating him, saying Peake understood the needs of veterans.

    But some veterans and veterans' groups have questioned the choice.

    Paul Rieckhoff, executive director of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Association, noted that Peake was the Army's top doctor from 2000 to 2004, when Iraq veterans were just starting to face some of the serious problems involving availability and quality of care, especially mental health care.

    "We need to know how Dr. Peake will prevent these types of mistakes from happening again, as well as how he plans to move the VA forward," said Rieckhoff.

    The last VA secretary, R. James Nicholson, resigned Oct. 1, leaving VA to be run by an acting secretary. Murray said leaving the top job open for so long has been a mistake.

    "I hope he is the right man for this job," she said of Peake. "We have a crisis in leadership right now."

    While Peake would take over with just a year left in the Bush administration, Murray said she hopes he would not be just a caretaker.

    "We cannot waste a year," she said, citing a variety of needs, including cutting the backlog of benefits claims waiting to be processed, improving mental health services and reducing wait times for medical appointments.

    Depending on his answers, Peake could be confirmed for the job before Congress adjourns for the year, according to Senate aides.

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