Obama's Lackluster Vision

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	Obama's Lackluster Vision This has been another terrible week for Barack Obama. Although he's tried to turn his luck around, he can't seem to shake the scandal, missteps and questions of incompetence swirling around his administration. First there is the on-going VA scandal, which has all Americans from all sides of the aisle shaking their heads. The president somehow manages to claim that veterans have been the focus of his administration and yet claim no responsibility for their lack of care. Obama continues to stand by Secretary Shinseki, even after it's been confirmed that the scandal has effected thousands of veterans. This can't be helping Obama's standing in the eyes of the public. Then this week Obama announced that we are withdrawing troops from Afghanistan. It is clear that Obama doesn't grasp the difference between ending wars and winning wars. The outing of the CIA chief of station in Afghanistan adds to pile of amateur blunders, which have many questioning the competency of this administration to govern. Overall, America's perception around the world is on the decline because of a number of embarrassing international episodes including our handling of the Syrian red line, Vladimir Putin and Iran's nuclear program. Americans at home similarly view Obama's handling of foreign affairs as weak...(continued)

Report Confirms VA Troubles
A new report confirms our greatest fears: The problems with the VA are systematic, wide-spread and effected thousands of our veterans. The report has renewed the calls for VA Secertary Shinseki to resign.

Here's a breakdown from the Washington Post:

"The report found that 1,700 veterans using a Phoenix VA hospital were kept on unofficial wait lists, a practice that helped officials avoid criticism for failing to accommodate former service members in an appropriate amount of time.

A review of 226 veterans seeking appointments at the hospital in 2013 found that 84 percent had to wait more than two weeks to be seen. But officials at the hospital had reported that fewer than half were forced to wait that long, a false account that was then used to help determine eligibility for employee awards and pay raises.

The agency has made it a goal to schedule appointments for veterans seeking medical care within 30 days. But the interim IG report found that in the 226-case sample, the average wait for a veteran seeking a first appointment was 115 days, a period officials allegedly tried to hide by placing veterans on 'secret lists' until an appointment could be found in the appropriate time frame."

This latest report has led to House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Jeff Miller calling for Shinseki to resign and for Eric Holder to launch a criminal investigation. You can read more about last night's House hearing with VA Assistant Deputy Secretary for Health Thomas Lynch here.