Shinseki’s Critics Will Eat Their Words

There is nearly universal agreement that too many American veterans are made to languish unnecessarily under the current Department of Veterans Affairs claims backlog.  For many months, often years, our servicemen and women patiently wait to receive their hard-earned benefits, held up by a notoriously burdensome and antiquated government bureaucracy, which has only worsened as more than 2.5 million troops return from overseas service in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Some critics have even called for the resignation of VA Secretary Eric K. Shinseki.  While justified in their outrage, their demands for the Secretary’s job are wrongheaded and would only make matters worse.

First, consider that many improvements have already been made. Knowing the backlog would rise, Shinseki had the leadership and moral courage to increase access for more veterans. [...]