May 21, 2014
Unbiased Political News
Allegations that delays in treatment at veterans hospitals could have led to otherwise preventable deaths and a few suicides has sparked a growing political scandal, which has political operatives calling for the resignation of VA Secretary Eric Shinseki. President Obama is so angry about the situation that he has vowed to immediately investigate and fix any flaws in the system.
“We’re going to get to the bottom of those things, fix them and ensure that they don’t happen again,” McDonough said on CBS’s “Face the Nation” last Sunday.
In a move widely seen by critics as a stab at damage control, Undersecretary of Health Dr. Robert Petzel resigned last Friday. His resignation came a day after he appeared alongside Shinseki at a congressional hearing detailing accusations that VA medical facilities in Phoenix covered up long wait times for patients, including 40 who died while awaiting care.
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Dr. Sam Foote, a whistleblower in the VA case, said on “Fox News Sunday” that although Petzel’s resignation was “a great first step,” there is no way officials in Washington did not know of the issue.
“They knew this was a big problem,” he said, adding he believes Mr. Obama should keep Shinseki in his job and “on a pretty short leash,” so as to keep the focus on fixing the problem.
When asked if Shinseki still had the president’s full confidence, McDonough sidestepped the question.
“The president will continue to demand that he and all of us who work for him continue to fix these things until they are functioning the way that our veterans believe they should,” McDonough said.
The VA has put 3 senior officials in Phoenix on administrative leave after doctors there said they were ordered to hold veterans’ names for months on a secret waiting list until a spot opened up on an official list that met the agency’s 2-week waiting time goals. Allegations have also reported similar cover-up schemes at VA medical facilities in at least 7 other cities.
Dr. Sam Foote, a whistleblower in the VA case, said on "Fox News Sunday" that although Petzel's resignation was "a great first step," there is no way officials in Washington did not know of the issue. […..]
Exactly. And with all due respect, that includes the President.
To some degree, this ongoing problem with the VA's absolute failure to provide many, if not most, Veterans with quality and timely care has been reported on by the media FOR YEARS (prior to the Obama presidency).
But the problem obviously became worse since the Iraq war.