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Sun 7 Dec, 2008 08:37 am
The Huffington PostDecember 7, 2008
General Eric Shinseki To Be Veterans Affairs Secretary
Barack Obama will be on Meet the Press Sunday. NBC has released an excerpt from the interview in which Obama announces that tomorrow, on the anniversary of Pearl Harbor, he will name General Eric Shinseki as Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Shinseki gained fame for losing his job in the Bush Administration after he testified to Congress that an occupation of Iraq would require hundreds of thousands of U.S. troops, a view which was not shared by the Pentagon under Donald Rumsfeld, but is now widely regarded as correct.
Transcript of Obama video clip:
PRESIDENT-ELECT OBAMA: Tomorrow, you had mentioned earlier, is when we commemorate Pearl Harbor, and so I'm going to be making announcement tomorrow about the head of our Veterans Administration, General Eric Shinseki, who was a commander and has fought in Vietnam, Bosnia, is somebody who has achieved the highest level of military service. He has agreed that he is willing to be part of this administration because both he and I share a reverence for those who serve. I grew up in Hawaii, as he did. My grandfather is in the Punch Bowl National Cemetery. When I reflect on the sacrifices that have been made by our veterans and, I think about how so many veterans around the country are struggling even more than those who have not served -- higher unemployment rates, higher homeless rates, higher substance abuse rates, medical care that is inadequate -- it breaks my heart, and I think that General Shinseki is exactly the right person who is going to be able to make sure that we honor our troops when they come home.
BROKAW: He's the man who lost his job in the Bush Administration because he said we will need more troops in Iraq than Secretary of Defense Don Rumsfeld thought we would need at that time.
PRESIDENT-ELECT OBAMA: He was right.
Think Progress flashes back to Shinseki's Senate testimony:
In the run-up to war in Iraq in early 2003, General Eric Shinseki testified to the Senate Armed Services Committee that it would take "several hundred thousand soldiers" to secure Iraq:
I would say that what's been mobilized to this point, something on the order of several hundred thousand soldiers, are probably, you know, a figure that would be required. We're talking about post-hostilities control over a piece of geography that's fairly significant with the kinds of ethnic tensions that could lead to other problems.
Just two days later -- and exactly five years ago today -- then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and his deputy, Paul Wolfowitz, swiftly and infamously dismissed Shinseki's assessment:
The organization of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America released this statement praising the choice of Shinseki:
"IAVA applauds President-elect Obama and the transition team for making this historic selection. General Shinseki has a record of courage and honesty, and is a bold choice to lead the VA into the future. The President-elect has demonstrated an understanding of the urgency of the issues facing America's veterans by making this announcement early. General Shinseki is widely-respected, honest and experienced. He is a man that has always put patriotism ahead of politics, and is held in high regard by veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. IAVA looks forward to supporting him to implement the historic change that is needed at the VA.
As a wounded, decorated, combat veteran, and the first Asian American in US History to be a four-star general, General Shinseki, has the potential to be an effective and dedicated advocate for veterans of all generations.
From AP:
Shinseki, 66, is slated to take the helm of the government's second largest agency, which has been roundly criticized during the Bush administration for underestimating the amount of funding needed to treat thousands of injured veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Thousands of veterans currently endure six-month waits for disability benefits, despite promises by current VA Secretary James Peake and his predecessor, Jim Nicholson, to reduce delays. The department also is scrambling to upgrade government technology systems before new legislation providing for millions of dollars in new GI benefits takes effect next August.
Sen. Daniel Akaka, chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, praised Shinseki as a "great choice" who will make an excellent VA secretary.
"I have great respect for General Shinseki's judgment and abilities," said Akaka, D-Hawaii, in a statement. "I am confident that he will use his wisdom and experience to ensure that our veterans receive the respect and care they have earned in defense of our nation. President-elect Obama is selecting a team that reflects our nation's greatest strength, its diversity, and I applaud him."
another stunningly good pick by Obama, it is almost impossible to come up with a better man for the job. And it is sweet justice that the (singular) General who had the balls to tell America that the Administration was full of **** gets to ride again. This should be a lesson to all future Army leaders that doing the right thing might not be a career ender.
@cicerone imposter,
while i believe shinseki will probably do a good job , i would have thought that he might have qualified for a more influential job that would have brought "reality , moderation and foresight" into the obama cabinet .
hbg
@hamburger,
the VA is a massive agency that has been neglected for a very long time, it needs a Shinseki for reform and healing. And he has a lot of motivation for this gig, taking care of soldiers has always been important to Shinseki, and the guys and gals he took to Iraq need a good deal of caring for which many are not getting.
There is no better place for him to be, either for Shinseki or for America.
@hamburger,
hbg, I disagree; I believe Obama made the right move for all his cabinet members. Veteran's Affairs Secretary is very important, because as hawkeye has said, they've been neglected for too long! They also have a huge budget; a big responsibility for the man at the "top." I'm sure Shinseki will do a yeoman's job in that position, because he's a detail guy with smarts.
@cicerone imposter,
ok , ok !!!
i'll agree - you've BOTH been very persuasive !
hbg
Shinseki for VA Secretary: A Bold Choice
by Paul Rieckhoff - Huffington Post
Posted December 7, 2008
During the campaign, President-elect Obama promised to make veterans' issues a priority if elected. While campaign promises are a dime a dozen, I sincerely hoped that our veterans and their families could rest assured that the tremendous challenges they are currently facing would finally be addressed. One of the key first steps to tackling the critical issues of our newest generation of veterans was for the new Administration to appoint its choice for VA Secretary, and I've frequently called on President-elect Obama to do just that. Today, on the 67th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, I am pleased to announce that the President-elect has made a historic selection: General Eric Shinseki has been tapped to be the new Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
General Shinseki has a record of courage and honesty, and I believe he is a bold choice to lead the VA. As a wounded and decorated combat veteran and the first Asian American in U.S. History to be a four-star general, General Shinseki has the potential to be an effective and dedicated advocate for veterans of all generations. He is a man that has always put patriotism ahead of politics, and is held in high regard by veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. IAVA looks forward to supporting him to implement the historic change that is needed at the VA.
But General Shinseki has a monumental task before him. One in five veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are facing serious mental health injuries like Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or depression. Wounded veterans are waiting months, sometimes years, to receive disability benefits. The struggling U.S. economy is hitting new veterans especially hard. And the new GI Bill, which will make college affordable to every veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan, must be implemented by August 2009. To address these issues will require real leadership that encourages active VA outreach and transparency. We recommend General Shinseki to move quickly to add Iraq and Afghanistan veterans to key positions in his senior staff.
So far, the new Administration has been saying the right things about veterans' issues. President-elect Obama has talked about eradicating homelessness among veterans, addressing the high unemployment rates, and making adequate mental health care available to our troops and veterans. Michelle Obama has also called military families one of the issues she cares most about. But we'll be watching carefully to make sure these campaign promises are kept. And we look forward to working closely with General Shinseki and the new Administration to ensure every veteran in this country gets the care and support they have earned.
What I fear most is the high expectation that people will demand from Obama's presidency that even the best will not be able to satisfy.
The stock market today is saying "we have confidence," but we still haven't heard all the bad news that's sure to come up the pike during the next 12 to 18 months.
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