Obama hired Shinseki the Bush Critic to run the VA

by:Neil W. McCabe

As the scandal of President Barack Obama's handling of Veterans Affairs reached critical mass,the
president ducked out,flying 30 hours to spend four hours in Afghanistan. How about a guy,who goes to
Afghanistan for a moment of peace? No one,who has interacted with VA hospitals knows moments of peace there.
Nor is anyone surprised by the news of secret waiting lists,lost and tossed records and an attitude of neglect.
Every morning,veteran hospitals are like a cattle call~ an unorganized morass of older men ignored.
It was true 20 and 30 years ago. It is true today. It is a healthcare system run by the post office



In Washington, there is a rule that personnel are policy.
Obama knew about problems at the VA as a senator and as a president-elect. He could have choses a leader to fix the VA and turn it around to be the showcase of his focus on healthcare reform. Instead, he chose an Army hack, retired four-star general Eric K. Shinseki—appointed Army Chief of Staff by President William J. Clinton.
Shinseki is typical of the generals and admirals who excel during Democratic administrations. He went along with deep budget cuts that ended the careers of thousands of mid-career NCO’s and officers and pushed the liberal agenda on those serving in uniform. Happy Earth Day!
While he gets credit for championing the Stryker, he is also the same guy that pushed the “Army of One” campaign and the black beret fiasco. 


When George W. Bush took over the White House, Shinseki was a fish out of water. He announced his retirement and spent the rest of his term as the Army Chief of Staff undercutting his bosses and scoring points for the Democrats, who had been and would continue to be his patrons.
A myth developed that Shinseki was fired by Bush because he was not willing to go-along with Bush’s war plans for Iraq. The truth is that after he announced his own retirement, Shinseki became the fly in the ointment—a departure from his role during the Clinton budget cuts, when he played Good Time Charlie.
Obama hired Shinseki the Bush Critic to run the VA, not to reform and improve it, but as a living reminder that Bush, and everyone else, was wrong about Iraq—except Shinseki and Obama. 


If Obama fires Shinseki, he fires a symbol of Obama’s all-knowing wisdom.
If Obama fires Shinseki, he opens up his VA for closer public examination during the confirmation hearings for his next choice to lead the department, so that is not going to happen until the lame duck session. Then, the Republican leadership will roll over and make nice-nice.
I am not sure if there is anything nice-nice in this week’s roster, but I am proud to commend it to you. 
Enjoy!