While the Bush administration was busy ignoring an impending natural disaster, they were disrupting the health care of hundreds of sick people. We have all heard about what President Bush was doing on Aug. 30. He was spending his time on a naval base in San Diego speaking to hundreds of current and former soldiers of the U.S. military on the 60th anniversary of VJ day.

Many liberal blogs have scoffed at some of the things that Bush said at the rally, which included a ridiculous comparison between World War II and the Iraq War. But the real travesty was how a nearby hospital was completely closed to all civilians and non-military patients because Bush was slated to visit the hospital.

Now, this does not look so horrible at first glance. Bush had this engagement scheduled in short notice to spend a couple of hours taking some photos with wounded members of the military who are back from the war in Iraq. We all know that the president needs security wherever he goes.

But when the situation is looked at in depth, the way it was handled is completely unacceptable. The emergency room was closed and ambulances were forced to reroute their emergency patients to other hospitals. In many emergencies, a few minutes can be the difference between life and death. Life is more important than a presidential visit.

Furthermore, surgeries and other medical appointments were also postponed. The cancer center was closed, and all chemotherapy and radiation appointments had to be rescheduled. Anyone who has read about such treatments knows that the effectiveness of killing cancer cells depends heavily on the treatment schedule. Most chemotherapy patients have weekly treatments. The medicine is created as such to allow for the maximum amount of damage to cancer cells while letting healthy cells recover. Getting off of the schedule, for any reason, can be disastrous.

Additionally, hospitals only have so many stations to administer such treatments. For this reason, the canceled appointments could not just be rescheduled for the next day. Some patients would surely have to wait a full week before getting their chemotherapy again. We will never know if Bush’s visit actually caused any harm, but the mere possibility of cancer patients dying due to a presidential photo-opportunity makes me sick to my stomach.

Let us think for a moment. What is the function of a hospital? The obvious answer is to help sick people and save lives. A hospital loses all use when ordinary people who need medical assistance are turned away. It is especially upsetting when the people are turned away, not because of a valid reason, but merely due to a presidential visit.

Furthermore, it does not help the situation that Bush was only in the hospital for a whopping fifteen minutes. While I am glad that Bush finally responded to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, his ridiculously short public relations move was not only unsuccessful, but also put many San Diegoans at risk.

The lengths that the government goes to insure the safety of our president have gotten out of hand. Bush, like any other president, does need to be protected at all times. However, there is absolutely no good reason to interrupt the treatment of people in need. For people who are terminally ill, a visit from the president is the least of their worries. Was the president afraid of 70-year-old women being injected with cancer-killing chemicals? These people are not anti-Bush protesters. In fact, many of the patients probably voted for Bush.

Many homeland security measures are nuisances, but they are necessary. But this instance of personal security for the president is not only paranoid in nature, but it put people’s lives in danger as well.