Another clintonista named as VA Secretary
The King of the Black Beret, Eric Shinseki is rumored to be the next VA Secretary by Associated Press;
Democratic officials say President-elect Barack Obama has selected retired Gen. Eric K. Shinseki to be the next Veterans Affairs secretary.
The officials said Obama will announce his selection Sunday. They spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid pre-empting the official announcement.
Shinseki’s claim to fame was inflaming the whole former-Ranger community by taking the black beret from Rangers and putting it on the entire force’s heads – then he bought the berets he’d need for the Army from a Chinese manufacturer. I was in the House Small Business Committee hearing when he lied and told the Committee (which nearly had to subpeona Shinseki to get him appear in front of the Committee) that he wasn’t aware that the berets were coming from a Chinese manufacturer.
Shinseki was a tanker who had become accustomed to wearing a black beret until the Army Chief of Staff Rodgers forbade their wear (because they weren’t authorized by the 670-1) in 1978, so to get his revenge, Shinseki gave the whole Army the Black Beret when he became ACS. It was my first experience with online activism.
And AP perpetuates the lie that Shinseki was fired by the Bush Administration;
Shinseki is the former Army chief of staff who upset his civilian bosses in 2003 when he testified to Congress that it might take several hundred thousand U.S. troops to control Iraq after the U.S. invasion. He was forced out of his job within months for being “wildly off the mark.” But his words proved prophetic after President George W. Bush in early 2007 announced a “surge” of additional troops to Iraq after miscalculating.
Shinseki left his job when his term ended – he was not “forced out of his job”. His term expired after four years (1999-2003) like every Army Chief of Staff before and since. We’ll probably be hearing a lot of that false story over the next few weeks.
I wonder if Shinseki will now take the Rangers’ tan beret and give it to VA staff.
Even the Washington Post didn’t bother to repeat the “forced from his job” lie;
Category: Politics
He sounds like a petty child playing ‘i’ll get you back’ later for hitting me.
When was the last time the Associated (with terrorists) Press told the truth or accidently got a story correct? I see AP, I say BS.
That’s what we need…
Likely even worse than Cleland who blew himself up.
Oh yeah… and since I’m impacted as a disabled vet in the VA system I can say BOHICA.
Was Shinseki on the mark with his hundreds of thousands troops remark?
The Surge snatched victory from the jaws of defeat with a brilliant multifaceted ground campaign with only an increase of roughly 20,000 troops – not hundreds of thousands as predicted by Shinseki.
Oh, as for the beret issue, Scrapiron is right on the mark. Shinseki appears to this civilian as less of a General and more of a two year old throwing a tantrum.
He’s a damn street punk, period. Spoil’t by Mommy & Daddy.
Well, as a US Army retiree, and a disabled veteran, and one who knows the inner-workings of the VA, I can state that the past VA Secretary’s have all been blind-sided and no one tells them the truth of what is actually going on at the VA, the VA hospitals and the VA clinics. Why is there such a waste of taxpayers dollars? Why does the VA allow women veterans to go outside the VA at VA expense and have free baby care, pre-delivery care, delivery services and post delivery care (no care allowed for baby’s)? These veterans in the majority of the cases have no service disabilities at all, and have been out of the service for many years, and this care can be done every year is the same women veterans wants to keep having babies at VA’s expense. Why is the VA behind on the nesest medicines? Why is the VA behind on things such as the newest wound care? Why does the VA not outsource more like private and public hospitals do? Why is the senior management of the VA all retiring and now middle management is doing the same, but the VA is not using the system within to promote, no, they bring in college students that graduate, have no military experience at all, and after two years in the VA intern program, they get hired at high cililian grades while others reture a lower grades with military service? Should not the majority of the VA management positions be mandatorily held by veterans? The VA spends a lot of money on fancy buildings and continual maintenance of marble, slate and other “nice looking” things, but why when concrete looks well? Why does the VA almost always allow veterans that have money to get waivers for their prescriptions when other veterans cannot, it seems it is almost automatic from what I hear from other veterans, just lie about your finances and no one catches you, even the verification of income system the VA uses does not work accurately and in all cases. Why are “we” veterans… Read more »
Khaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!
Shinseki’s term started in June 21, 1999 and ran to June 11, 2003.
He announced his retirement in April 2002 and testified about the 700K figure TEN MONTHS LATER in February 2003.
He retired four months later, as planned and as announced 14 months prior.
But we always hear about him being “forced” out.
Just like Mary Ann Wright was so “couragous” for resigning in protest AFTER her retirement papers were approved. She gave up NOTHING, she risked NOTHING. And as two Gold Star Wives spoke truth to Col Klick to her face, she still collects every penny of those pensions.
Jonn, hope all is well and its been too long, brother. 🙂 As you, I and so many others painfully recall, GEN Shinseki’s JUDGMENT (as evidenced by his poor judgment on berets and Crusader support) is the REAL reason that the Bush Administration lost confidence in him — as should we all.
Stay in touch.
H