Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki said being “mad as hell” was the strongest language he could use to describe his reaction to allegations that dozens of veterans died awaiting treatment at a Phoenix VA hospital.
So Jon Stewart took him to task on Monday’s “The Daily Show.”
“No, I think that would be an appropriate use of stronger language,” Stewart said, opening his “Veterans Affairs F*ck Ups” swear jar. “‘Motherf*cking sh*t’ does seem appropriate.”
White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough said President Barack Obama was “madder than hell” over the allegations, too. That type of “post-bureaucratic stress disorder” among government leaders goes all the way back to the 2007 scandal surrounding the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Stewart pointed out, which then-Sen. Obama said was a “wake-up call” at the time.
“It’s clear love and respect ain’t getting the job done,” Stewart concluded. “So there’s really only one way to put our government’s full resources behind anything: If they really want to improve the life of these veterans, I’m afraid we have to declare war on them. Congress, write a blank check to fund Operation Enduring Waitlist: A war on error. Because if you want Americans to feel shock and awe, you’ll fix this f*cking thing.”
Watch below, courtesy of Comedy Central:
ahhh. Another major problem that Obama learned from his tv.
You made them serve years ago, but you didn’t care about them til it’s too late. Having to wait until you’re 75 for a hearing aid? Oh you’re usually dead by then. The RIGHT has been going out of their way to deny help to our hero’s.
I’m wondering why Stewart is getting all worked up about this. What happened and is happening at the VA is exactly what happens when we have the government managing healthcare. Thinking that there are people who would like to extend this kind of “care” to the rest of the Nation just gives me the creeps.
Awww, you think it’s better to simply give the vets “tax credits” so they can buy their own care? That is the only solution the Right can give that doesn’t look almost exactly the same as the AHA…well, besides “just let them die”.
Of course, the problem is that so many vets that actually need care can’t actually WORK, so tax credits don’t really help.
So…I suppose then the government could actually give the vets an amount of money that they can use directly, to buy their own care or health insurance. Except that…OMFG…that IS what the AHA is at it’s core, for those that cannot afford to buy their own insurance. And all of the OTHER parts of the AHA would be needed, especially the requirement to cover pre-existing conditions, otherwise not a single vet with PTSD, or cancer, depleted uranium in their lungs would get any coverage, at any price.
So PLEASE…tell us all of your wonderful plan to assist our vets that Bush Jr. sent into a 10 year battle, that does not either provide more funding to the VA to get to proper support amounts, or look just like the AHA for vets. You know, solutions that really are about having the government managing healthcare.
Go on, we’ll wait for your brilliant solution. I suspect it may be some fun…like waiting for them all to die, or relying upon “faith-based giving” to provide for them…
Fact is Obama should be ashamed and embarrassed for letting this happen. The man talks a big game about helping veterans but his record is a joke. Doesn’t matter what bush did. You could say its even more sad that Obama hasn’t done anything different then bush.