Washington Post editorial: (excerpt)
Mr. Obama rightly expressed his concern: “I will not stand for it. Not as commander in chief, but also not as an American. None of us should.” He promised that people would be held accountable for any wrongdoing and any deficiencies would be addressed. At the same time, the president properly cautioned that the facts still have yet to be determined; investigation by the VA into a number of facilities and a broader White House review are underway, with preliminary reports expected next week.
That the extent of wrongdoing is unclear doesn’t seem to matter much to those more interested in scoring political points. How else to explain the knee-jerk calls, mainly by Republicans in the House and Senate, for the ouster of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki or the ill-advised and punitive legislation aimed at VA workers?
Mr. Shinseki’s contributions include Army service that saw him losing part of his foot to a land mine in Vietnam and his success as secretary in reducing veteran homelessness and expanding services. But they apparently aren’t as important as the fact that his understated demeanor was derided by a late-night comedian. It’s beyond us to imagine how denying bonuses to VA employees would aid recruitment of the very professionals who might help reduce the backlogs that cause the delays in getting appointments.
