Courtesy of The Atlantic.
This one I found very interesting.... If you're looking for change we can believe in, I think if nothing else this is it. With the winding down of the Iraq war, more and more of our troops, now veterans, will be coming home. Advances in medical technology have given us the ability to save more lives that in previous wars would have been casualties, however, the Iraq war is gaining a nasty reputation of sending home veterans who are disabled and unable to work. This is why I find it so amazing that two years ago Senator Obama made it one of his goals to provide better benefits for veterans. Besides being a damn good cause to fight for, politically speaking it was a strategy that in the end I think will work out very well for Obama. Although still in the backdrop, benefits for veterans is turning out to be a very important issue, an issue which NOBODY wants to be on the opposing side of. The fact that Obama has a two year head start, with a nice track record to back him up is definitely going to help his influence when working on VA health care policies. And while this will be a great success to tally onto Obama's presidency, on the more ideological side of things, I am pretty glad that we have a president who actually gives a damn about these sorts of things. I don't think that Obama chose this issue for the political capital to be gained, rather I think Obama is tackling this issue because he understands the needs of a post-war nation.
Well thats enough of my Pro-Obama liberal brainwarshing. As for the Shinseki pick, I cant honestly speak to how I feel about his experience or qualifications because I dont really know too much about him. Although I think it is fairly safe to assume that if Obama is appointing him to be VA secretary then he has probably agreed in advance to stay in line with Obama's campaign promises about VA health care reform. I guess that makes me feel at least a little bit comforted.
6 comments:
I am very excited about Eric Shinseki being picked. Not only is he a nice guy (I got to meet him once in a receiving line), but he is a very qualified general along the lines of Colin Powell. As Army Chief of Staff, he opposed going to war in Iraq with as few troops as we did (I don't know if he opposed the war outright, but he may have). He was one of the few voices of reason that stood up to Rumsfeld/Cheney on some of their major blunders and was pushed out of the Pentagon as a result. While I don't know what his party affiliation is, I am sure he will put the troops before all things political. I am liking Obama's cabinet more and more.
The consequences of the war in Iraq are grave and even if veterans have not been physically disabled many return with PTSD. I was watching truelife: I'm living with PTSD yesterday. Its a show on MTV (I only watch when the episode is good...not a fan of "Truelife: im a shopping addict") Many veterans return home and are unable to function in society properly. They are severely depressed and are unable to participate in normal activities because for a long time they were only focusing on their mission which was to remain alive while protecting the people around them. Being that focused and that fearful all the time is not normal. Veterans can become very paranoid and are unable to feel same even after they've been discharged. The damage that the War in Iraq has caused is vast and will probably not be adequately assessed for sometime, but it is comforting to know that we've elected a man who is aware of these grievances and will do everything in his power to correct the harm that has been done.
Although I agree that the veteran cause is a good one, I feel that Obama should still focus more on the youth. We have always been underrepresented or ignored, and I don't want Obama to do that. Wasn't he the voice of the youth during the election? What about now?
As for the Shinseki appointment, I agree with Scott. Shinseki is a good choice with lots of experience. He was the first Asian-American in US history to be a four-star general and created plans to make the Army more mobile in urban terrain. He seems to know what he's doing.
I'm not sure this is the right spot for Shinseki. Although I see why he was picked because he can empathize with returning veterans, I don't see how his experience as a general is going to help him regulate benefits for veterans. It seems like his rank's talents could be used better elsewhere, perhaps in the army where generals usually reside? Instead, it seems like he'll just regulate pension checks and PTSD pills, which would probably be a better fit for someone who does that regularly, not for Shinseki. I'm wondering if this is just another political move to spite the Bush administration by putting people who the administration didn't like into power?
Politically and substantively, this is a brilliant pick, and a symbolic punking of the Rumsfeld crew's politicization of the cost/benefit/risk analysis during the Iraq War debate. Plus, as I read elsewhere, it is pretty cool to have Shinseki's promotion rolled out on Pearl Harbor day, honoring all our veterans with an indisputably qualified pick of Japanese descent who doesn't confuse loyalty with being unwilling to speak truth to power.
Good for him!
I thought he lost his career after speaking out against Rumsfield and Wolfowitz about needing "several hundred thousand soldiers" in post-war Iraq. It is nice to see that he will be the next VA secretary. However, I think he should get the position as the Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff position for what Cheney and Co. have done to him. As VA Secretary, I'm sure he will do a good job in managing the VA during a period of war. I hope he will prevent things like the controversy in Walter Reed Army Medical Center from ever happening again. Good choice for Obama to make. +1 Obama (he now has 2.)
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