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| Obama Picks Shinseki to Lead Veterans Affairs |
| 2008-12-07 |
| President-elect Barack Obama today will introduce retired Army Gen. Eric K. Shinseki as his nominee to head the Department of Veterans Affairs, bringing to his Cabinet a career military officer best known for running afoul of the Bush administration by questioning the Pentagon's Iraq war strategy. Shinseki, a four-star general and 38-year veteran who retired shortly after the fall of Baghdad in 2003, will appear with Obama in Chicago at a news conference today commemorating the 67th anniversary of the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor. Obama said Shinseki agreed to join the incoming administration because "both he and I share a reverence for those who serve." Military leaders and veterans advocates hailed Obama's selection of Shinseki, describing the nominee as a soft-spoken, dynamic leader who is widely respected by rank-and-file service members past and present. Retired Army Gen. Colin L. Powell, who was President Bush's secretary of state at the time of the Iraq invasion, called Shinseki "a superb choice. . . . He is a wounded hero who survived and worked his way to the top. He knows soldiers and knows what it takes to keep faith with the men and women who went forth to serve the nation. He also knows how to run large and complex bureaucratic institutions. His is an inspired selection." Powell, also a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, supported Obama's election. Shinseki, 66, was twice awarded a Purple Heart for injuries sustained in Vietnam. Kori Schake, a fellow at the conservative Hoover Institution who served on Bush's National Security Council during the run-up to the war, said Shinseki is "a great choice. . . . Shinseki will be a terrific advocate for and leader of our Veterans Administration. He distinguished himself in caring for wounded warriors while chief of staff, and I'm certain he will serve veterans and the country well." |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #6 Perhaps you misunderstood me. Shinseki is full of shit as a commander, and that means he will fit in well at the VA with its hidebound bureacracy. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2008-12-07 17:29 |
| #5 Nimble and Spemble, beat me to it (on both bits of snark!). This may indeed be a good choice for VA. Obviously Shinseki deserves the plaudits as a committed vet who served and sacrificed. My only question here is, why embarrass himself with the line about The One sharing his reverence for soldiers? Not saying it's untrue - just that it seems extremely unlikely, and all known opportunities to assess said reverence have turned up "negative". If anything, the new boss seems likely to be uncomfortable around the uniforms, much as Billy Joe Bob was. Shinseki shoulda confined his remarks to the usual (and true) boilerplate about being glad of the opportunity to serve those who served, etc etc. |
| Posted by: Verlaine 2008-12-07 13:00 |
| #4 And using 45 ton self propelled gurneys. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2008-12-07 08:03 |
| #3 All VA doctors and employees will soon be wearing distinctive beret headgear. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2008-12-07 07:41 |
| #2 He has two Purple Hearts; if those are a qualification, I guess Kerry should get the job. |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2008-12-07 02:34 |
| #1 Didnt care for some of his stuff as a commander, but for the VA he may be the right guy. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2008-12-07 01:06 |