WH Mouthpiece Jay Carney Cannot Answer a Simple Yes-or-No Question as to Whether Barack Obama Has Confidence in VA Sec. Shinseki in Wake of VA Scandal

VA-GATE: REALLY JAY … YES OR NO, IT IS AS SIMPLE AS THAT!!!

White House press secretary Jay Carney was asked several times today by multiple reporters if President Barack Obama had confidence in embattled Veterans Affairs Secretary Gen. Eric Shinseki. It was a simple yes or no question that Carney could not and did not answer. In the video below, ABC News reporter John Karl asked Carney a very simple yes-or-no question: “Does the president have confidence in General Shinseki?” The response from Carney turned into a reading of ‘War and Peace’. Carney went on to SAY, “The president believes and is confident that Secretary Shinseki has served this nation admirably, heroically as a soldier, as a general and that he has accomplished some very important things as secretary of Veterans Affairs, and I listed them, but they include extending education benefits, reducing veterans homelessness, and reducing the size of the backlog for disability claims while expanding vastly the number of veterans who can make a claim.” Um, Carney has the audacity, even after the release of the Department of Veterans Affairs inspector general’s office report that substantiated recent claims of inappropriate scheduling practices and secret waiting lists. REALLY?

How can the VA problem be a top priority of Obama and his mouthpiece cannot answer a yes or no question about confidence in the head of Veteran Affairs? It is all about politics with Obama. Note to this WH because America is and has grown weary of its games … if you can’t say you support someone … ask them to resign.

The Blaze:

“A very simple yes-or-no question: Does the president have confidence in General Shinseki?” ABC News reporter John Karl asked Carney.

Carney said Obama is confident that Shinseki has served the country well.

“The president believes and is confident that Secretary Shinseki has served this nation admirably, heroically as a soldier, as a general and that he has accomplished some very important things as secretary of Veterans Affairs, and I listed them, but they include extending education benefits, reducing veterans homelessness, and reducing the size of the backlog for disability claims while expanding vastly the number of veterans who can make a claim,” Carney said.

Karl followed: “Does the president right now have confidence in Secretary Shinseki, yes or no? Very simple yes-or-no question. He told us last week he did have confidence — does he have confidence now?

Carney said, “What I would point you to is what the president said on Secretary Shinseki. I’m not going to improve upon his words on this regard. He talked about accountability. I understand the wordplay, but I think what is more important.”

Karl shot back, “It’s not wordplay. It’s a very simple question. Does he have confidence in Secretary Shinseki?”

Carney stressed that fixing the VA’s problem was the top priority.

“On the issue you’re referring to when it comes to the revelations that have come to light about Phoenix and other veterans health centers, the president was deeply troubled by what we saw in the interim report from the inspector general and he awaits the preliminary report from Secretary Shinseki on the internal audit that the secretary is conducting with the assistance of roughly 200 individuals,” Carney said.

Department of VA Inspector General Report Confirms Allegations that VA Health Clinics Cooked the Books Delaying Treatment to VETS an Average of 155 Days

VA SCANDAL … It is as bad as first thought and this is only the tip of the iceberg of a systemic issue throughout the Veterans Administration.

The WAPO is reporting that the allegations against the VA have been substantiated by a recent independent report from the Department of Veterans Affairs inspector general’s office. The report focused mainly on the Phoenix clinic, where recent allegations of records manipulation came to public knowledge and scrutiny. However, the problem is not just in Phoenix, it is every where. The inappropriate scheduling practices are systemic throughout the Veterans Health Administration. Even with bi-partisan calls for VA Secretary Eric Shinseki to resign, he has not done so yet. However, this is only a matter of time. First thought weeks and then maybe days, the VA scandal has become so bad and wide-spread, that calls from all sides that it may be hours.

Department of Veteran Affairs IG report (pdf.)

However, the problem is not just Shinseki and is not the only one that needs to go. There are many within the VA who probably needs to be tried criminally. No one does not think that Gen. Shinseki is not a patriot and we thank him for his tremendous military service to the United States; however, that does not make him a concomitant administrator and for that he needs to be replaced.  However Barack Obama continues to stand behind Shinseki as no one in the Obama Administration is ever held accountable for scandals and incompetence.

An independent report from the Department of Veterans Affairs inspector general’s office substantiates recent allegations that VA health clinics used inappropriate scheduling practices that concealed treatment delays — lasting an average of 115 days in a sampling of patients — and boosted performance measures that help determine whether bonuses are deserved.

The report said 1,700 veterans using a Phoenix VA hospital were kept on unofficial wait lists, adding that “these veterans were and continue to be at risk of being forgotten or lost in Phoenix HCS’s convoluted scheduling process.”

Official VA data showed that 226 patients in a sampling from the Phoenix clinic had waited just 24 days on average for their first primary care appointments. But the inspector general’s office determined that those veterans had actually waited an average of 115 days.

The unofficial wait lists may represent the “secret” list that whistleblowers claim the Phoenix clinic used to cover up treatment delays, according to the report.

Former VP Dick Cheney Says Barack Obama Is a “Very, Very Weak President, Maybe the Weakest Certainly of My Lifetime … We’ve Got a Problem with Weakness, and It’s Centered Right in the White House.”

Former Vice President Dick Cheney blasted Barack Obama following his less than stellar speech at West Point.

Last night former VP Dick Cheney went on Hannity and blasted Barack Obama for the weak president he is following Obama’s questionable foreign policy speech at West Point. When asked by Sean Hannity whether America was in decline Cheney responded by saying, “I think the perception around the world is increasingly negative. But, I think the main focus in on our president. He’s very, very weak, maybe the weakest certainly in my lifetime.”

Former Vice President Dick Cheney blasted President Obama as the weakest president of his lifetime on Wednesday, following the president’s speech defending his foreign policy approach at the West Point commencement ceremony.

“He is a very, very weak president,” Cheney said in an interview with Fox News. “Maybe the weakest — certainly in my lifetime.”

Cheney went on to say that during a recent trip to the Middle East, allies he had “dealt with all the way back to Desert Storm” expressed alarm at the president’s handling of foreign policy.

“They all are absolutely convinced that the American capacity to lead and influence in that part of the world has been dramatically reduced by this president,” Cheney said. “We’ve got a problem with weakness, and it’s centered right in the White House.”

VIDEO Hat Tip – The Gateway Pundit

According to a recent FOX News poll, more voters think the United States is weaker since Barack Obama became president. About 52% of voters think the country is weaker and less powerful today than it was six years ago.  That’s three times the 17 percent who say the country is stronger and more powerful.

More Weakness from Obama – Obama Weak Foreign Policy President:

Foreign policy has become a drag on Obama’s second term, with 60 percent of Americans disapproving of the president’s actions in the sphere of international diplomacy. Peter Lavelle, host of the CrossTalk program on the RT network, attributes the slump to a combination of factors.

“Obama is a very weak foreign policy president. It’s obvious he lacks interest and knowledge of global affairs. In fact, he has delegated his foreign affairs portfolio to a small number of amateurs: Samantha Powers, Susan Rice and Ben Rhodes. They and others have grossly and badly served this president,” Lavelle told RIA Novosti.

A recent Associated Press-GfK poll found that a majority of Americans disapprove of Obama’s handling of the Ukraine situation (57 percent) and his interactions with Russia (54 percent).

According to another poll conducted by CBS News and released Wednesday, 43 percent of Americans believe the United States’ image in the world has worsened since Obama took office, an increase from 2009, when 60 percent said the country’s image had improved.

Barack Obama Receives ‘Icy Reception’ from Cadets at West Point Visit … It was Not a Commander in Chief Speaking to his Troops

Maybe Barack Obama should have sat down and be made to listen to the graduating US Military cadets on foreign policy … Obama receives icy reception.

The cadets at West Point  gave Barack Obama an “icy reception” yesterday at their commencement ceremonies as he rambled on with a meandering,  nonsensical foreign policy speech that has drawn bi-partisan criticism.  Even the NY Times questioned his big moment on foreign policy speech. The Washington Times reports that less than 25% of the cadets gave him a standing ovation upon his introduction. OUCH. According to a recent poll, Obama’s approval rating among the military is at 32%, look for that to go down further. During his speech Obama said, “I believe in American exceptionalism with every fiber of my being.” The problem is that this is the same man who said, if you like your healthcare plan and doctor, you can keep them, PERIOD. No one believes Obama anymore because his actions do not follow his words.

President Obama was welcomed by the Black Knight of the Hudson for his speech at West Point on Wednesday, but less than 25 percent of the cadets gave him a standing ovation upon his introduction, the Daily Mail reported.

“Receiving tepid applause and a short standing ovation from less than one-quarter of the audience upon his introduction, Obama argued for a contradictory foreign policy that relies on NATO and the United Nations while insisting that ‘America must always lead on the world stage,’ the paper reported.

VIDEO – Washington Free Beacon

From The Washington Free Beacon:

CNN’s international correspondent Jim Clancy called the West Point response to President Obama’s meandering foreign policy address “pretty icy” Wednesday.

Clancy said it was “not really a great speech to give at the U.S. Military Academy,” and the address has drawn bipartisan criticism.

“It was a philosophical speech,” he said. “It was not a Commander-in-Chief speaking to his troops. And you heard the reception. I mean, it was pretty icy.”

UPDATE I: Just how bad was this Obama speech? From The Politico … Editorial boards at three major U.S. newspapers are criticizing President Barack Obama’s foreign policy speech at West Point as incomplete and failing to recognize America’s international standing.

1. New York Times: President Obama Misses a Chance on Foreign Affairs
2. Wall Street Journal: The President skipped a few world events in his big foreign policy speech
3. Washington Post: At West Point, President Obama binds America’s hands on foreign affairs

Montel Williams Gives a Passionate Speech on Memorial Day and the War on Veterans that All Should Listen To … I Dont Care About Politics, What I care About Is That This Country Lives Up to Its Obligations to Veterans

KUDOS to Montel Williams …

TV celebrity and US military veteran Montel Williams provided a speech on Memorial Day that all should listen to. He blasted both President Obama and the Congress for not acting on behalf of veterans and their required healthcare. As Montel stated, “I don’t care about politics” … what I care about is that this country live up to its obligations to its veterans. AMEN BROTHER! Williams was referring to the current VA healthcare scandal where individuals were systemically cooking the books to make it appear that veterans were being seen timely on waiting lists.

“Whether you agree with me politically or not, I know you agree with me on this, ” he said. “We can argue about whether we like football or basketball as soldiers or sailors, airmen, marine or coast guardsmen … when it comes time, we never leave a soldier on the battlefield.”

We’re at war,” Williams said, “Guys are still dying. How dare this nation treat us this way.”