Former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (D), who’s currently running to reclaim the governor’s mansion, on Thursday called on Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki to resign.
Crist made the call in a statement Thursday afternoon.
Read Crist’s statement below:
I appreciate Secretary Eric Shinseki’s service to his country, and while we don’t know precisely what happened here, we do know that there must be accountability and confidence in leadership in order to get to the truth and provide veterans the medical care they’ve earned and deserve. That confidence is gone. I think it would be best if the Secretary stepped down and allowed others to get the VA fixed once and for all.
Moreover, if I were Governor, rather than using this moment as a political tool, I would take immediate action to employ any and all resources needed to make sure that our veterans here in Florida get the care that they need and deserve. I’d start by calling the legislature back in a special session to expand coverage to the more than 41,000 Florida veterans who fall into the health care gap and are not currently insured due to Rick Scott and the legislature’s failure.
This isn’t an issue of left versus right — it’s a crisis that requires leadership.
Earlier in the day another high profile Democratic candidate, Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes, also urged the secretary to step down. Both Democrats are calling for Shinseki to step down over a scandal centered around dozens of veterans dying while waiting for medical treatment.
Here we go with short term self-interests over long term reason. The last trio calling for Shinseki’s resignation are in the weeds, wallowing with the fish. Beware of the lines forming this time over an institutional problem, Shineski agreed to take on out of retirement.
Really? You and Grimes should focus on getting elected in your states and leave these matters to those involved. Both of you should shut your pie holes!
Is this becoming the campaign slogan du jour, “Shinseki, step down”? As of any of these bleating sheep gave a thought to the VA before today.
Democrats earn their “Dems in disarray” label with crap like this. Make Eric Shinseki the scapegoat? I realize that it’s great election-bait, and Dems need stunts like these to demonstrate that they will stand up to Obama, but man, I’d still like to see them unify and give a giant FU to the GOP and the media.
The last time they did that (government shutdown), they improved their standing. Too bad that got hosed in the epic media hyperfocus on the “disaster of a roll-out…why isn’t there hold music…” lollapalooza of last fall.
The VA was in trouble before Obama was elected, and Shinseki took over. This was the general marginalized by the Bush Administration for rightly pointing out that the “Shock and Awe” huckster campaign was profoundly wrong on the number of troops that would be actually needed. In other words, he got run over for pointing out the truth.
And now Dems want to throw him under the bus because they can score political points?
Understandable, but it most certainly is a reason why people f*cking hate politicians.
Exactly. Meanwhile, let’s just entertain a thought experiment. Shinseki steps down. And these clowns think the GOPers in the Senate are ever going to allow a confirmation of a successor before November? Oh, no. So who’s going to get hosed by this? Actual veterans. Not Shinseki. Not Obama. Not the GOP, and not these Democrats.