Eric Shinseki Steps Down From VA Post

There is something inevitable about the resignation of Eric Shinseki from his position as Secretary of Veterans Affairs.  It isn't a sign of wrongdoing at all--rather, a recognition that at this point, new leadership is called for in order to make more effective changes at the agency. For one thing, it means a shake-up in the system that the folks who deliberately fudged numbers were gaming. For another, it means an opportunity to bring in people who will be highly motivated to get results--Eric Shinseki was a dedicated and honest man whose ouster is possibly in part politically-motivated, but there will be real motivations for some other officials at troubled VA facilities to lose their posts also. They do say "A new broom sweeps clean."

The systemic problems within a bureaucracy are usually linked--you can try and tackle the Mother Trouble, and still have a nest of baby Troubles to deal with. What I think would be key for the incoming VA Secretary to concentrate on isn't benchmarks--but getting a good accounting of what real wait-times and backlogs are like, and a better reckoning of what is needed to rectify these issues.

All that being said, if there was a scandal in the VA problems having gone unresolved for all this time (problems as far as we know, having  reached back for decades) , I think it would be a real scandal if there was also a delay in approval of a new Secretary for the office. We're positively counting on the President to find a suitable replacement, but I think it would be wise, in light of the seriousness of VA business being done, that no partisan games are played in delaying such an appointment for any reason other than real unsuitability,