Obama 'madder than hell' over VA scandal
Yes - but what exactly is the president mad about? Is he mad that the VA deliberately falsified records showing that veterans were not being seen at VA hospitals in a timely manner?
Or is he mad that the press found out about it?
At any rate, I guess we're supposed to assume that Barack Obama is "not going to take it anymore," right?
President Obama is "madder than hell" over delays at VA hospitals that may have contributed to the deaths of patients, and is determined to make improvements, a top aide says.
"At the same time that we're looking at accountability we want to continue to perform to provide our veterans the services that they have earned," said White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough in an interview broadcast Sunday on CBS' Face The Nation.
A variety of investigations are focused on claims across the country that VA delay contributed to deaths, and that officials falsified records to conceal the lengths of waiting times for patients.
The VA's undersecretary for health care stepped down Friday.
In the Face The Nation interview, McDonough told CBS Chief White House Correspondent Major Garrett that Obama is "demanding that we get to the bottom of the exact allegations that you're talking about as it relates to whether veterans are getting the timely access to care that they have earned."
When asked if Obama still has confidence in Veteran Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki, McDonough said:
"The President will continue to demand that he and all of us who work for him continue to fix these things until they are functioning the way that our veterans, believe they should and the way that, so that they get the, the services and the benefits that they have earned."
During congressional testimony last week, Shinseki also said he is "mad as hell" over the VA delays.
In some ways, this scandal is more dangerous to the president than any other. There are documents, witnesses willing to tell their story, and both parties eager to get to the bottom of what happened. It's safe to assume that more revelations of wrongdoing will be forthcoming.
It probably won't lead to impeachment, but it will severely damage Obama's reputation. It plays into the narrative that Obama is incompetent and that people are suffering - and dying - because of it. That's a powerful message to go into mid terms with.