The studies that found no improvement in heart attack with lowering A1c were done with older, sicker people with Type 2 and they too STILL had less kidney disease and neuropathy than controls, something that wasn't mentioned in the media reports. It is still debatable if they had higher heart attack rates or not.

The Veterans study suggests that old, sick people with preexisting heart disease aren't going to miraculously recover with tighter control.

Type 1s get good treatment right at diagnosis. Type 2s are typically not treated until 3-5 years after their blood sugars are damagingly high and then they are given oral drugs that are no where NEAR as effective as insulin.  A 7% A1c which comes from having a FBG of 170 as is typical of Type 2s, is quite different from an A1c of 7% in a Type 1 where you have highs balanced with lows and a lower FBG.