Keller @ Large: Debate Should Focus On Veterans' Issues

By Jon Keller, WBZ-TV

BOSTON (CBS) - It's yet another Republican presidential debate Tuesday night.

And while the fiasco of the last one may prompt the moderators to be a little less obvious about it, you can count on plenty of conflict instigation, and opportunities for pettiness.

So it's with absolutely no expectation that this will actually happen that I offer up a suggestion – in honor of Veterans Day, which is Wednesday if you hadn't noticed, why not ask a series of questions with special relevance to veterans and their issues?

They could start with Donald Trump's promise to dismantle the dysfunctional VA hospital system and reimburse private health care providers for veterans' care.

Is that realistic? If more money is needed to end excessive backlogs and inferior care, where will it come from?

Candidate answers to that one will tell voters plenty about their understanding of government, tax policy, funding issues, health care systems, and the actual needs of veterans, all of which seems considerably more important than whether or not Ben Carson tried to knife a guy 50 years ago.

What about mental health issues impacting vets, drug addiction and the psychological trauma of war? We have heard next to nothing about mental health in this campaign, for veterans or anyone else.

Now is none too soon to start.

The debate could then move onto arguably the most important question any president will face – under what circumstances should we put U.S. soldiers in harm's way?

The discussion of any of those issues would be more interesting than another round of hair-pulling.

But what are the chances any of them will make the cut?

Listen to Jon's commentary: