Thanks, Roger

Veterans Affairs Chief Information Officer Roger Baker held his last monthly media call today, a free flowing back-and-forth unprecedented in the 28 years I have covered the federal government. Baker rarely ducks and these sessions usually produce real news, not fluff. The story we posted earlier today on the huge jump in costs of the joint Defense-VA integrated electronic health record -- to $12 billion from earlier estimates in the $4-$6 billion range -- is a case in point.

Asked to sum up his career, Baker said he had the best IT job in the federal government, backed up by a great staff of 8,000. He said he was leaving due to the sheer demands of the job -- 11 and 12 hour days since May 2009, a schedule that mirrors that of his boss, VA Secretary Eric Shinseki...