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OBAMA PUSHED INTO ACTION ON VA SCANDAL
It looks like the president is preparing to wade into the Veterans Affairs scandal that has engulfed his administration just ahead of Memorial Day. The delay has been excruciating for Democrats looking for him to take the lead on the issue that is adding to their woes this year, but evidently more excruciating for the White House communications team struggling to limit the damage from the allegations. President Obama didn’t know about corruption at the VA and learned about it from news reports. Er, wait. President Obama knew about the problems all along, but he just wasn’t able to fix them. Er, wait. President Obama knew about the larger issues, but not the specific instances and couldn’t address the underlying problems because Republicans wouldn’t give him the money. That’s it! Obama likes to say that government is the name for things that “we do better together” and that the government “is us.” When it comes to addressing scandals in the federal government, however, his administration’s talking points sound awfully conservative when it comes to the bloat and inefficacy of bureaucracy.
 
Schedule change - The White House added a closed door meeting to President Obama’s schedule this morning where Obama will get an “update on the situation” from VA Secretary Eric Shinseki and Rob Nabors, the president’s point man ordered last week to run an internal review of VA practices.
  
The Hill: “President Obama’s chief of staff, Denis McDonough, met frustrated Democrats on Capitol Hill [Tuesday] who are outraged by reports of secret waiting lists used by the Department of Veterans Affairs. McDonough’s deputy, Rob Nabors… met for talks with six veterans advocacy groups, including the American Legion, which has called for the ouster of VA Secretary Eric Shinseki. On Wednesday, Nabors will head to Phoenix, where up to 40 veterans died allegedly due to treatment delays.”
 
Penalty phase - New evidence that the administration knew about, but didn’t act on problems at VA hospitals seems to have forced Obama’s hand. Reports show that the president’s transition team was informed of shady practices at the agency in 2008. Now we know that the VA was well aware that health clinics were faking patient wait times in 2010 to hide intolerable backlogs. Even if we grant the White House its argument that somehow the president was insulated from the details of the issue his spokespeople say he cared so passionately about, these revelations necessitate stern action. Secretary Eric Shinseki and other members of the president’s senior staff are now beyond the point of pleading either ignorance or incapacity. Since the victims of this scandal are not the president’s political enemies or some other narrow group, the chances for this administration to somehow outlast this debacle look slim. Democrats might be shamed or enticed into backing the president on IRS targeting or doctored Benghazi talking points or even harassing reporters, but not on denying care to veterans. Shinseki will have to go, or this scandal will deepen the already dire condition of the party in November.
 
[WaPo shares how the backlog at the VA personally affected Army Staff Sgt. Sam Shockley’s treatment for injuries suffered during his tenure in Afghanistan.]