Gen. Shinseki as Secretary of Veterans Affairs

[jla9180]

I hope Gen Shinseki aggressively pursues the noble goal of zero tolerance on homeless veterans- none of our nation's veterans should ever lack a place to sleep.

[johnny9148]

I wonder if I'll get my real estate tax relief now? vietnam vet 100% ptsd john

[FITmitch]

wanting new friends

ANY GUYS UP? Vb

[hun33y]

lol. go make friends in a pub somewhere

[kimotaco]

Great choice, Obama was right on the money. Rumsfield is and will always be an idiot just like that clown Bush.

[mds1993]

a retired General? Or a ongoing General?

[LindaCourticeRN]

Gen Shinseki-

Please do a survey of all Natl Guard and Reserve medical assets and recruit them directly into federal civil service to care for our soldiers and their families. Some VA centers are fabulous and others are snake pits. Please bring us on board asap with the security clearances we already own and put us to work so we can implement your policies and put together the most up-to-date, safe, considerate, cutting edge medical system on planet earth. Thank you.

[DWNicolo]

I second that! Good choice.

[Xplosiv08]

Obama!!!

[Zile77]

Obama is going down with Blago soon. Pay to Play is his way, and it's illegal.

[keygbay]

whatever, i'm sure bush and his dirty friends would be more involved than Obama.

eric was right.

[asliberalastheycome]

Shineki predicted that "several hundred thousand trrops would be need in Iraq, meaning at least 300,000 troops.

Yet only 160,000 at max was need to secure the country, that's only half of what Shineki predicted.

Imagine sending 300,00 troops to Iraq when there's another war going on, and people think that the military is thinly stretched now??

Bad judgement, bad choice.

[DillonX]

Iraq is still not secure.

If anyone thinks it is, I'd ask them to invite Bush & Cheney to walk down the steets of Baghdad & see how far they get.

Shinseki was right all along!

[Corporations8MyBaby]

Bush fired Gen. Shinseki for doing his job, for being honest, for being accurate. This servant of the people understands the system as it has been. I am excited to see him embrace how things *can be* by joining the President-Elect.

[presbarone]

WE need to take care of our Veterans. I think there are so many ways that we can take care of them. Not just the VA. Everyone...let's help them out on a daily basis in our daily lives. When hiring for jobs maybe. First round on the house. Military discount. Let them go to civilian hospitals and pay for it instead of the huge VA hospital beaurocracy.

[blair227]

Great choice for this post.

[janichaz]

Obama good job and good speech!!!

God bless you!!!

[asliberalastheycome]

Shinseki wanted to send between 300,000-400,000 troops to Iraq in the beginning, when it took between 150,000-160,000 to secure the country.

[simply2ghetto]

Shinseki was right about sending 300,000 to stablize postward Iraq. Even John Abizaid acknowledged it a few years later.

[gryphonshire]

FINALLY! A perfect match between the Cabinet Position and the person chosen by Obama to fill it. IMO, Richardson as Commerce, and Clinton as Sec of State, are just WRONG choices!!! (He should be SOS, and she should be in charge of Health and Human Services!)

[charlessmyth]

This pragmatism in lieu of principles could be accused of being cynical as a reduction in risk is implied with regard to the consequences of physical and/or mental injury & quality of future jobs & pay. This can't be, without impacting non-forces' rights. It also diverts public attention from the cost of conducting conflicts on this scale, with no incentive to achieve victory. As per Sean Langan: 'We are not losing the war on terror, we are not making the slightest effort to win it'.

[chairde]

There is nothing wrong with taking good care of veterans. Insuring that veterans are treated well does not and never did mean to treat others badly. I have been to your Belfast and the Catholics were without a doubt second class citizens. That Sir is simply wrong. Everyone on this earth deserves respect and dignity in society.

[chriseastin07]

amen brotha

[cjyoung88]

It's wonderful that there are more diversity in the Obama administration.

[asliberalastheycome]

It's funny that with all the diversity Obama has not chosen even one liberal for a cabinet position.

[MountOlivet]

good speech.

[IloveJesusYesId0]

Wanna not use them to attack your own people though? If you don't reverse this national Martial Law put in by bush it WILL be abused one day in the future. And you know it.

Infantry troops Should Not Be Inside Our Borders As Armed Soldiers.

What exactly are machine guns going to help with in a terrorist attack Huh? Huh??

[Munko]

go obama

[omega71]

I am so glad we got a BLACK president, yet I cant as a Gay man marry..GO AMERICA!

[camipco]

How about housing for all homeless veterans?

[ReliableInsider]

Good point. A significant percentage of the homeless are war veterans!  I shook hands with a man who fought in Korea. Yet another reason why they deserve our respect.

[8godog8]

i can see why Republicans fear him he seems to have true Christian values not just another white washed sepulcher i would like to see Brandon heath play at the inauguration!

[Funasenbaer]

GTFO of other countries!

[bdbthinker]

the us is going somewhere. the guy will lead us. there.

[SaveOurPlanetBeVegan]

I just get a friendly vibe from them.

[santosbl01]

Obamas dreamteam is lookin good!

[Rossdhu16]

On this day, December 7th, 2008, The day we remember Pearl Harbor, President-elect continues the healing of our nation by appointing the very first American of Japanese ancestry to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. This is a tremendous move, and I am proud to have General Shinseki as our Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

[attiana1579]

hope he lives up to what he promises

[arabeea]

Thank you, Obama. Thank you.

[chairde]

This is a great American. One who had the courage to speak up against an evil administration that was costing the very lives of our soldiers. What a great choice!

[Blacksun1942]

General Shinseki is a true American hero who stood up to the civilian government in Washington and told them that we would need more troops in Iraq. In response, they (Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz) belittled him. He was right, and John McCain deserves credit for finally helping to implement what Shinseki called for.

[PaIins]

amazing HD quality, Mr. President <3

you're the real 'First Internet President' ♥

(not Palin)

[NightwarriorM83]

Now we're talking! Well done Mr. President-elect, General Shinseki knows more than anyone else about what tough problems all of us soldiers and vets face alike. He's someone you can depend on to get the job done...

[DillonX]

Bush/Cheney screwed over the soldiers so many, many times...I hope it'll stop now.

[evilh0ly]

He's a keeper.

[RojamNairassoy]

I love Barack Obama.

[JerkyChid]

we all do

[ra1neee]

cool vid man

[TiTSxxMcGEE]

Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both.

Benjamin Franklin

[EsotericDesi]

A True American HERO... Only General in America man enough to speak truth to power and rise to Bush's misguided policy on Iraq back in early 2003, Shinseki chose to lose his uniform but not give up honesty...

[obamawalker]

Hope he actually does it. I hope Obama actually makes him see it through. Our veterans deserve it.

[coconnel51]

The appointment of Eric Shinseki was a very shrewd move. Obama is truly building a dream team.

[2004JETTA]

its so fitting that the day he makes this announcement is Pearl Harbor yo ugo Obama!!!

[TowelWipe]

Oh my bad, didn't know these were pending approval. I guess that means I should post with purpose then. That also means I probably wasn't first...Anyway Eric Shinseki seems like a nice enough guy, having been a soldier himself I'm sure he'll know what to do.

[OoooTanya]

you were first :)

[TowelWipe]

First! I've never done that before.

[danob1769]

first! lol

[mlee92907]

awesome!!!!!!

[Berebw01]

Great Nomination! He has been right so far on Iraq. He will help immediately!

[someperson111]

TEAM OF HEAVYWEIGHTS!!

[MacPlaya213]

gr8. general Shinseki as Secretary of Veterans Affairs!!!

[MattressGallery]

Another excellent cabinet decision!

[LukkieUCLA]

great choice. shinseki is a truly honorable person who is not afraid to speak his mind. looking forward to his quality leadership.

[robertantonnyc]

eh, sounds pretty good to me

[bushputz]

Yesss!

Another adult joins the Obama administration.

I am so ready to usher in an era of competence after the abysmal failure of the Bush administration.

[ANTHONYTYME]

great pick obama********

[XxShadicxX]

It's awesome that you guys have transitioned to HD already!

[KENTISAICON]

Barack Obama we can do this!!

[Jerseysson27]

This president HAS REALLY Done his homework!!

[billionaireby16]

It's a shame that this is closest appointment you've made that is anywhere close to "CHANGE."

[mykalroze]

I wonder if ol' Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz and Feith are going to admit that they were wrong for shunning Shinseki and forcing him out because he said that after going into Iraq, America would need to increase troop support. But ol' Rumsy and friends disagreed and forced Shinseki out. But guess who was right? So, still waiting for that apology, but I'm not going to hold my breath. Rumsfeld are members of the Bush school, where strength is being inflexible and ignorant, no matter how wrong.

[DrumHeadV]

Although I disapprove of the use of force in

general, I understand that Presidenct-elect

Obama and his cabinet have to make pragmatic

decisions on the basis of the current status

quo. As a student of a branch of clinical

psychology, I commend him and his team for

supporting the diagnoses and treatments of

military staff suffering from traumatic ex-

periences.

[maclancer]

Than you Obama to had choice the best presidential team ever for the 21st century challenges.

[LockNgnome]

I think this was a good choice. Although i was not born in America, i do not live in America ,even though i am 15 years old, and just because i have never been in America, Does not mean i should not care about whom America picks as President. The President of the United States, and the United states as a whole, determines so much of the most important issues the world faces. Many believed they could not help change who whould get picked as president, but thanks to Internet , We could.

[soyboy01]

Great choice! We must not forget the needs of our veterans for they have sacrificed for our freedom.

[themastrmind]

Excellent choice Mr. President-Elect.

[elrey5243]

wooooohoooo

first comment

[kw7777777]

Great pick...I hadn't even heard he was being considered. I had been pulling for Tammy Duckworth but this is clearly a great pick. It's a nice reminder of how he was right on Iraq as well.

[TheAngryVideoEditor]

Yet another Good choice by Obama:)

[ajstavely711]

Obama is proving he has the right stuff!

[yugimotta2]

Brilliant.

HD quality?

[jdchoi2]

I actually shook hands with the General back in 2001. I only saw him for few minutes but I was impressed with him.

Funny story from my former platoon SGT - It was a quite a while back, do not know when. The SGT was driving the General in Fort Hood and wondered why Gen. Shinseki was wearing one boot that was wrinkle-free, so he asked. The general said it was because he did not have a foot in that boot. Then SGT's commander(?) just gave him the WTF look so the SGT kept quiet.

[daderone]

wise words and a very important message. Thank you President Elect and Welcome Gen. Shinseki

[kidd13news]

As a former Marine, and now vet, I am excited about Obamas Pick for the Sec. of the V.A. Thank you Obama.