Politics. On Point.

President Obama was busy at the podium in the James Brady briefing room Friday. Earlier in the day he announced the resignation of VA Secretary Eric Shisenki amid allegations of nationwide misconduct within the Veteran Administration's (VA) hospitals. Before that, he announced that Shinseki would be firing a few officials within the VA hierarchy.  Said the president to reporters in the briefing room, "Secretary Shinseki has now begun the process of firing many of the people responsible, including senior leaders at the Phoenix VA.  He’s canceled any possible performance bonuses this year for VHA senior executives.  And he has ordered the VA to personally contact every veteran in Phoenix waiting for appointments to get them the care that they need and that they deserve.  The president said he would hold accountable those responsible, and it looks like Shinseki  also made that list. "Last week, I said that if we found misconduct, it would be punishe...

On yesterday the nation, once again, took a day to remember its veterans who lost their lives serving their country.  Amid the wreath laying, motorcycles roaring, flags waving, and parades, the fact remains that the country's surviving veterans need help, and the institutions put in place to assist them, are shrouded in incompetency and bureaucracy. Last yea r, we spoke to two individuals who are products of the United States armed forces as they told us stories of their families and loved ones who served, and their struggles with the Veterans Administration office to get the services they desperately need. Outside the Department of Veteran Affairs in Washington, DC on a cold February day, our interviewee had this message for the Department of Veteran Affairs, and President Obama . "Help the veterans, because they deserve it more than anybody else in this country." The VA has come under fire (again) for its mismanagement of veterans' cases leaving some...