TOP 3 REASONS SHINSEKI HAD TO GO

Let me just start by saying that I have great respect for the outgoing Secretary of Veteran Affairs, Eric Shinseki. Shinseki is a Hawaiian of Japanese descent. He was a decorated soldier who served this country honorably, including combat duty in Vietnam which resulted in a partial foot amputation due to a land mine. So I am in no way doubting his qualifications; but given recent events and my own personal experience with my Dad and the VA--he had to go. Here's why:

HE WAS ASLEEP AT THE BUTTON

I get it that the VA is a massive entity to totally get your hands around. I understand that the VA has been crappy for a long time. Given that, Shinseki should have come into this position with the understanding that there were existing systemic issues. Ok, how to resolve that?? Good management! On paper, Shinseki had all the bonafides that one would expect to see in a hard nosed, no nonsense commander/manager that would be capable of trimming the fat from the slow, lethargic, short-staffed, overcrowded, extremely fatty VA system. Alas, no. Shinseki was seemingly UNAWARE of this. From his lofty perch far above the average disabled Vet in need of care--everything was apparently fine. That kind of demeanor is so far removed from the average American like me, that is familiar with the VA system. It's insulting. When this story broke, I found myself asking...Is Shinseki too apathetic, uninformed, or slow to make the changes needed? or Is he too impotent? Cut off at the knees by political limitation of powers and red tape? I don't know which. What I do know is from the outside looking in, he comes off like that narcoleptic chick in that bad Deuce Bigalow movie that was constantly dozing off at inopportune moments.

HE IS MADE OF STONE

Is it just me or does Gen. Shinseki come off as this cold, emotionless automaton that only moves or speaks in response to the right key words. This is what made the Daily Show jokes so damn funny. No, General Shinseki we're not buying your 'Mad as Hell' face. Even though I personally believe Shinseki is not directly responsible for the widespread, pervasive crap going on at the VA; he didn't give us that steaming, red-hot with anger empathy over the deaths of those veterans. I'm sure his calm, cool, battle-hardened demeanor served him well in the heat of combat or on the field of battle; but in this instance, I want somebody to step to the podium and ask 'whose ass to kick'. Seriously, the guy comes off as if he were the pod person replacement for the actual general. I wanted him to get loud and yell, 'Hey! THIS WILL NOT STAND!' or 'NOT ON MY WATCH DAMMIT!' Instead he came off weak and ineffective. Since perception is reality, only timely resignation/firing would satisfy the screaming mob.

HAVE TO STOP THE SNOWBALL

Boehner and his band of Congressional idiots were gearing up the Benghazi machine to run this banner of incompetence all the way to midterms. This scandal was a gift horse to the haters of Obama and it had the bonus of being an actual scandal. At the end of the day, people died and even the President's own Democratic comrades were beginning to shout for Shinseki's head on a platter. The VA has been screwed up for a long time and the influx of vets from all the Bush era conflicts have been pouring in to strain an already sorry VA framework. This was becoming an infected open wound which the GOP was cheerfully gathering to throw salt into on a daily basis. Think about it, these guys have no intention of actually governing, so they needed this kind of distraction to divert from real issues the country is facing. Firing Shinseki is a two fold solution. It silences the mob that are only just realizing the disabled vets are underserved; plus, it puts a battery in the back of whoever replaces the General to really dig in and make meaningful changes to the VA. That's something that both sides of the aisle can take solace in.

Agree? Disagree? This is just my take on it. I'm the Average Black Man, and that's my two cents.