VA Secretary Eric Shinseki Resigns

Embattled VA Secretary Eric Shinseki tendered his resignation today to President Obama, the president announced at the White House.

"He does not want to be a distraction," Obama said. "That was Ric's judgment on behalf of his fellow veterans."

Well we all knew there would have to be a fall guy.

abcnews.go.com...

www.cnn.com...

Obama should follow his own opinion on how these situations are remedied and resign.

It was inevitable. There was bipartisan support from both houses calling for his resignation. Republicans because it is a Democratic administration and Democrats because they are up for reelection and don't want to lose their seat. Notice that the people not calling for it from the Democrat side are mostly people who are assured of reelection or aren't up for reelection at all?

I still hope that bill that went through the house that will allow the VA secretary to fire people gets passed. That is one of the best solutions to this mess that I've heard so far. Government employees should be fire-able. It is absurd that they aren't and just allows for massive waste, abuse, and corruption.

a reply to: roadgravel

Watched his speech and all I got out of it is changed are coming but those changes are going to cost money...
And that they can first make changes in the management positions.
Seemed like a bunch of lip service IMO

One down...a hell of a lot more to go.

I don't think this would have been the outcome if it were not a reelection year. Now, if the person to replace him is not just another puppet...something may get done.

I wonder if I can hold my breath that long...

Des

a reply to: nighthawk1954


thank goodness that nagging VA problem is solved! Now we can move on to other important things like changing the Redskins name.

What's that? It didn't solve the problem? Sorry, never-mind...

As a former General, he should have known better than to totally trust his staff without following up on reports. He did the right thing though.

I hope his replacement learns from his lesson. I realize that you can't micromanage from his position, but he should have realized that he could still manage the Department. That's one of the reasons the Inspector General was created, to assist in that endeavor.

a reply to: Sremmos80

Seemed like a bunch of lip service IMO

I thought similar. Same old thing we hear from any politician. He's been in for 5 years but wasn't aware despite all the talk and complaints. When he talks now all I can hear is "lip service". People at the top are responsible for the failures unless it is him.

It's about time. He's ultimately responsible for this mess.

When you run a business or organization and one of your managers is messing up to this degree, you fire him or force him to resign. To relate that last sentence. When you run a country and one of your top managers is messing up to this degree, you fire him or force him to resign. I don't see the problem.

originally posted by: Krazysh0t
It was inevitable. There was bipartisan support from both houses calling for his resignation. Republicans because it is a Democratic administration and Democrats because they are up for reelection and don't want to lose their seat. Notice that the people not calling for it from the Democrat side are mostly people who are assured of reelection or aren't up for reelection at all?

I still hope that bill that went through the house that will allow the VA secretary to fire people gets passed. That is one of the best solutions to this mess that I've heard so far. Government employees should be fire-able. It is absurd that they aren't and just allows for massive waste, abuse, and corruption.

Agreed. It was pretty clear this was going to happen when the VA IG report came out Wednesday and the number of Democrats calling for his resignation doubled. The bill passed the House with 90% yeas, I'd say it's looking good for passage by the Senate. It's impossible to clean house when you can't fire anyone.

a reply to: TDawgRex
a reply to: amazing

I agree. I hope this shocks the VA into doing the right thing. It's been a problem for MANY years. We pay lip service to taking care of our vets and then ignore them when we're done with them. It's shameful!

I think Shinseki did the right thing, but I hope changes come from it. At least there will be more eyes on the issue.

a reply to: Benevolent Heretic

I served on a Command Staff for a while and never sugar coated anything. It got to be code almost. *Knock, knock* "You have a minute Sir?"

I've walked out of my Commanders office more than once holding both my ass cheeks in my hands after breaking bad news wondering how I'm going to reattach them this time. It never felt good, but I can honestly say that I had a clear conscience upon leaving. Oh, and I never went in without at least one solution to the problem either.

Thank Dawg I'm now out and don't have to deal with crap like that again.

I'm disgusted that he was allowed to resign.



He should have been handcuffed and dragged out of his office into the streets for all the world to see.

a reply to: wills120

And his whole retirement package taken away from him, the money going to help VETS instead of giving him a cushy fall back.

We tend to forget. When these people in high positions finally get thrown under the bus, to take the heat off those above them. They walk out the door with a loud cha-ching echoing in their wake.

I say, strip them of their retirement pay and bonuses too.

Des

Wouldn't it be great if Obama, Holder and Kerry were to finally "man up" and step down for their gross incompetence and crimes and against America?

Of course they will never take personal responsibility and accountability for their failures, negligence and deliberate unconstitutional crimes. They will just continue to let their scapegoat minions take the fall for them.

VA Secretary Eric Shinseki Resigns

SCAPEGOAT.

For 6 Years the administration KNEW there were problems at the VA.

Only now when people were dying did someone 'resign'.

Too little.

TOO GD LATE.

a reply to: neo96

Say it ain't so...

Good riddance, but unfortunately, it'll not change a thing. Unless some sort of miracle occurs.

Veterans are considered to be, though it'll be denied most strenuously, useless tools to be discarded.

a reply to: seagull

His interim replacement has only been with the VA for 3 months. Not long enough for people to really blame anything on him. Perfect timing for upcoming elections.

I'm sure this was all thought out to the last decimal and zero, in Shinseki's resigning payoff fee.

Meet Obama's hand picked replacement, Sloan Gibson.

The interim VA chief spent more than 20 years working in the banking industry, retiring in 2004 from AmSouth Bancorporation, where he was vice chairman and chief financial officer.

www.washingtonpost.com...

Same old...same old...more to come of ...nothing.

Des

a reply to: Destinyone

Well, I, for one, am just shocked.

HIring someone who has no knowledge, or concern, for veteran's affairs. SSDD.

This will be portrayed as a solution to the problem and it won't be talked about anymore.

Meanwhile, vets will continue to suffer, continue to die, and nothing will be done to help them.

Woopti-fracking-doo