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Dec8
Obama Picks Retired General Eric Shinseki To Head VA
Retired Army General Eric Shinseki has been chosen by President-elect Barack Obama to become the next secretary of Veterans Affairs. Shinseki is a highly decorated veteran of the Vietnam War. He is also famous as a critic of the Bush administration’s invasion of Iraq, warning a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing held shortly before the attack on Iraq that hundreds of thousands of American occupation troops would be required to ensure tranquility after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein. Bush’s defense secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, denounced Shinseki, claiming his estimate was “wildly off the mark.”Obama said of Shinseki, “There is no one more distinguished, more determined, or more qualified to build this VA than the leader I am announcing as our next secretary of Veterans Affairs, General Eric Shinseki.” Barack Obama made the statement at a news conference, held with Eric Shinseki.“No one will ever doubt that this former Army chief of staff has the courage to stand up for our troops and our veterans. No one will ever question whether he will fight hard enough to make sure they have the support they need,” President-elect Obama went on to say. He added that, “We don’t just need to better serve veterans of today’s wars. We also need to build a 21st century VA that will better serve all who have answered our nation’s call.”
In his statement to the media, Barack Obama mentioned that General Shinseki, who served two combat tours during the Vietnam War, was injured and lost part of his foot. Obama said of Shinseki, “he understands the changing needs of our troops and their families. And he will be a VA secretary who finally modernizes our VA to meet the challenges of our time.”
General Shinseki present at Obama press conference
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