“If you engage in an unethical practice, if you cover-up a serious problem, you should be fired period. It shouldn’t be that difficult…” – Barack Obama, Aug. 7, 2014.
With dozens of veterans dead allegedly from cover-ups in the Veterans Administration ranging from administrative indifference to flat-out fraud by more than a few VA officials, Barack Obama spoke loudly and often of his shock and anger over this deplorable situation. Yet, as reported by Fox News, records previously buried in the bureaucracy reveal that maybe the scandal wasn’t really all that important to the Commander in Chief.
Documents obtained via the Freedom of Information Act show that Obama met with former Secretary Eric Shinseki concerning the negligence and corruption that led to the deaths of over 60 vets nationwide. During all of calender year 2014, Obama met with Shinseki a total of three times — twice during Cabinet meetings and once on the day Shinseki resigned under a cloud of suspicion and shame.
While speaking before a crowd at the Washington, DC-area’s Fort Belvoir, Obama signed into law the Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act of 2014. During the course of his speech, he omitted any mention of the behind the scenes lack of urgency despite his public displays of outrage.
According to National Public Radio he spoke in glowing terms of the new law, as well as how the new VA Secretary, Robert McDonald, was empowered with new and sweeping ability to dump incompetent executives within the department.
More than a handful of Republicans couldn’t help but see the irony when Obama confidently stated:
We’ve gotta give Bob [McDonald] the authority so that he can move quickly to remove senior executives who fail to meet the standards of conduct and competence that the American people demand.
If you engage in an unethical practice, if you cover-up a serious problem, you should be fired period. It shouldn’t be that difficult. And, if you blow the whistle on an unethical practice or bring a problem to the attention of higher ups, you should be thanked.
