The VA scandal The Arizona Republic has failed to investigate

The Arizona Republic investigative report on the Veterans Administration hospital in Phoenix has led to a national scandal in which the inspector general of the Veterans Administration issued the nineteenth report since 2005 about scheduling delays at VA hospitals that may have compromised patient care. The Secretary of the Veterans Administration, General Eric Shinseki, did the honorable thing for an old soldier and submitted his resignation to the President on Friday.

The editors of The Arizona Republic, as well as many politicians here in Arizona, had called upon Gen. Shinseki to resign, so “mission accomplished.”

The VA scandal that The Arizona Republic has failed to investigate is this: every congressional office has staff that spends their days dealing with constituent services. Veterans in particular are not shy about calling their members of Congress when they are having problems with the VA. How is it possible that members of Congress were unaware of the problems at the VA? Our members of Congress have all sounded like Captain Renault in Casablanca, “I’m shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!”

This particular scandal occurred at the Phoenix VA hospital, which implicates Arizona’s senators and congressional delegation. Arizona’s angry old man John McCain, who has been in Congress for 30 years, says the President is to blame. McCain on VA crisis: Obama responsible . Bullshit!

This is the nineteenth inspector general report since 2005. What has Sen. McCain and Arizona’s congressional delegation been doing about the problems at the VA since 2005? When is John McCain going to do the honorable thing for an old soldier and submitted his resignation?

I believe the The Arizona Republic has an obligation to conduct a follow-up investigation into the VA scandal. Send a FOIA request to the offices of Arizona’s senators and congressional delegation for constituent complaints about problems with receiving care at the VA and how that office resolved the problem, since 2005. The first question to ask is “What did they know, and when did they know it?” The next question is “What did they do about, if anything?” Let’s see those metrics.

There is one person at The Arizona Republic who “gets it” and has been writing about this, E.J. Montini. He knows where the real fault lies, with Arizona’s senators and congressional delegation. Where were our politicians when our vets needed them?:

But what about all of those members of Congress in many, many districts where problems occurred and whose offices no doubt have been hearing complaints from veterans?

Why didn’t the people we elect to public office raise a stink about this?

They’re certainly shouting now.

And today’s column, Will heads roll in Congressional offices over VA?:

I’m wondering, however, what about the people in the offices of every U.S. Representative and Senator?

I haven’t heard about any of those people being forced to resign.

Just as I haven’t heard any member of Congress accept even a smidgen of blame for not recognizing the VA problem, or not having a staff member recognize the problem.

Why not?

And finally, as to Arizona’s Prima Donna who preens for the TV cameras and blames the President that he is still embittered about losing to in 2008, Why didn’t Sen. McCain spot the VA crisis?:

During his remarks President Obama acknowledged that the ultimate responsibility for problems at the VA rest with him, since the problem surfaced on his watch. He’s right.

But is it not also McCain’s watch?

Should not members of Congress display a little of that “leadership” and “accountability” McCain talked about?

John McCain has been a U.S. Senator for a very, very long time. He has a strong connection to the military based on his own service and his time as a POW in Vietnam. He cares deeply about veterans and veterans issues.

The crisis with the VA hospitals came to light because of problems in Phoenix — McCain’s home city.

So is it fair to ask: Where was John McCain when these problems were developing?

He’s a senior senator. He’s the state’s highest ranking federal official. He is deeply concerned with veterans issues. Should he or his staff have a strong connection to the local VA? Given that, does McCain feel as if HE bears any responsibility for not recognizing a problem?

Should he?

Or should members of Congress who represent communities where VA problems have surfaced bear no responsibility at all?

And if so, why not?

Serving their constituencies the most important job of elected officials.

Are not veterans a key element of that constituency?

I get the idea that the buck stops with the president. It should.

But shouldn’t there be a few stops along the way with members of Congress?

Should members of Congress have to explain why they or their staffs – who supposedly deal with constituents all the time – never picked up on the problems at the VA?

Or do they just get to criticize and condemn?

Are they without sin and, like McCain, get to do nothing but throw stones?

Well, editors of The Arizona Republic, do they? Or are you going to conduct an investigation into the offices of Arizona’s senators and congressional delegation? Or is this a case of IOKIYAR?