General Shinseki Resigns Over VA Flap

Image from source, MSN

I haven't written about the VA troubles much lately, mostly because I've been busy, but also because of my own difficulty in coming up with a defined opinion. Like the myriad troubles over many years in this scandal, It's hard to pin down exactly how I feel.

Troubles at the VA with waiting lists and other difficulties go back over a decade (in fact, over pretty much the entire history of the organization, as Jon Stewart famously showed). When only 19% of people polled laid the blame at President Obama's feet, I was pleasantly surprised, since everything is his fault and "a scandal" in they eyes of FOX "News" and Right Wing World. While it's true that the president promised to do something about the problems, it's also true that the problems didn't originate with him, nor are particularly his fault. Still, I wish he had followed through on those promises.

See? It's hard to give an opinion on something where there isn't a clearer "villain." Some do of course, as the usual suspects have acted as though this scandal is new, when in fact it is very old. Truthfully, I'd like to get past the noise, and just have somebody fix the problems. And apparently, General Eric Shinseki is not that guy. So, kudos to the administration for pulling that particular plug. Might I suggest appointing Jon Soltz or Paul Rieckhoff in at least an advisory role?

[Excerpt]

Shinseki resigns amid veterans' health care uproar
 
Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki apologized in public and then resigned in the privacy of the White House on Friday, driven from office by a mushrooming scandal over the agency's health care system that serves millions of the nation's former warriors. . .

Read more at: MSN

Sarah Palin Derps Some Racism Again

I almost didn't use this image (from Wonkette)
since the beyond awesome Lynda Carter
does not like Sarah Palin. But I figure
this his how Palin sees herself.

I'm always torn about writing a Palin post. She's a pointless, ridiculous political celebrity, and she thrives on attention, even negative attention. Kinda like Ann Coulter. But the she-beast of the north has gone and blown--not a dog whistle--just a regular loud, racist whistle. Again. So, the only way I can handle her today is by finding a funny write-up about it. This fits the bill.

[Excerpt]
 
World’s Laziest Half-Term Governor Says Obama Killed All Those Vets Because He Is So Lazy, Also Too The Media

Oh em gee, you guys, the ghost thinker for Sarah Palin’s brain has informed her that she is SUPER empissened about the just discovered BREAKING news that America does not treat its veterans so good, actually. . .

Read more at: Wonkette