President-elect Barack Obama’s savvy choice for Veterans Affairs secretary, retired Gen. Eric Shinseki, sends several interesting messages: That Obama welcomes Cabinet members who will speak their minds even if doing so contradicts the White House line. That he disliked the shabby treatment Shinseki got from the Bush Pentagon, which replaced him as Army chief of staff after he told Congress before the 2003 Iraq invasion that higher troop levels were needed than those favored by then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. That he’s serious about repairing the VA system, which has been insufficient to meet the needs of returning Iraq war veterans. And it wins Obama another point for diversity (Shinseki is Japanese-American).
Registered?
Commenting on WE Blog now requires you to be a Kansas.com member. Use the links above to register, if you haven't already, or to log in.Contact us
Follow us
Daily Archives
-
Recent Comments
- BlueJay on Open thread 11/22
- Regular on Open thread 11/22
- Regular on Open thread 11/22
- Rage on Open thread 11/22
- cosmos_originally on Open thread 11/22
- Chas on Open thread 11/22
- BlueJay on Open thread 11/22
- Boxlock20 on Open thread 11/22
- satatom on Open thread 11/22
- JimJohnson on Open thread 11/22
11 Comments
Higher troop numbers were needed – at a time when democrats were screaming, “H-ll no We won’t go!”,”H-ll no We won’t go!”,”H-ll no We won’t go!”,”H-ll no We won’t go!”,”H-ll no We won’t go!”,”H-ll no We won’t go!”
And it wins Obama another point for diversity (Shinseki is Japanese-American).
Telll me again why this is remotely relevant?
I think Obama is doing a great job with his cabinet picks. I’m sure all the cons will be so disappointed that he’s not going to be the screwup that Dubya was. Not a horse judge among them so far.
#
GMC70
Posted December 9, 2008 at 8:35 am | Permalink
And it wins Obama another point for diversity (Shinseki is Japanese-American).
Telll me again why this is remotely relevant?
————————
Perhaps his four stars and military service wasn’t enough accomplishment for duh libs.
We needed more people who spoke truth to power, the very people that had their careers ended under the dictatorial bush regime.
“spoke truth to power”
OK. You’re disqualified, as using the most lame, most meaningless, most pointless, most useless phrase ever.
Moreover, you have no concept of the phrase “dictatorial.” The Bush administration may have been a lot of things, many of which we both disagree with, but a dictatorship wasn’t one of them.
Criminee. Save that kind of language for the real thing. . . . .
I thought the last administration dropped him due to his more troops ideas?
It comforts me when those ridiculed are later recognized for their correctness. This happens too seldom and results in people not speaking their true thoughts, but only those thoughts they feel the seeker is wanting to hear.
“GMC70″ is desperate enough to attack –
“…the most lame, most meaningless, most pointless, most useless phrase ever.”
But facts are facts.
Shinseki got it right back in 2002 and Shrub and Cheney and Rumsfeld got it wrong.
And Shrub and Cheney and Rumsfeld wielded their combined power to, they thought, ruin Shinseki’s career.
People don’t generally know it but the Secretary of Veterans’ Affairs administers the second-largest budget in the federal government. Shinseki’s nomination tells us a lot about how President Obama will govern.
“Truth to power” isn’t “meaningless, pointless, and useless.”
It’s just something we haven’t experienced for the past eight years.
Change, y’know?
The appointment is a direct hit at the waterline of U.S.S. Bushco.
We watch with smiles on our faces as it slowly sinks into well-deserved uselessness.
Dennis
MH, as usual, is correct here James.
Sorry, you can’t handle the truth.