The liberally-slanted New York Times editorial pages nonetheless took on President Obama with a scathing opinion piece about his seemingly lackadaisical response to the Veterans Affairs Department scandal.
It’s good the president is upset at recent revelations that show veterans are being held back from receiving promised medical care, the editorial board penned. But stronger action — like a firing or two — would carry more weight, the editorial stated.
“But expressing outrage is hardly enough for a president who, as a candidate in 2008, criticized the agency and vowed to improve care and address backlogs,” the board wrote. “It is past time for a more visible personal commitment to right these wrongs as well as strong White House support for legislation that would make it possible for top agency officials to fire those responsible for wrongdoing.”
And just in case there was any doubt about where the editorial board was casting blame, writers made it more than clear: “The buck stops with Mr. Obama,” The Times reported.
He was the one, after all, who “pledged to build a ’21st-century VA,’ ” the editorial said.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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