THIS JUST IN! BARRY O SWOONS OVER JOCK MEAT!

BULLY BOY PRESS &   CEDRIC'S BIG MIX -- THE KOOL-AID TABLE

FADED CELEBRITY BARRY O SUFFERED THROUGH A SPEECH ABOUT VETERANS NEEDS AND HOW THE V.A. IS NOT SERVING THEM.  IT WAS 1370 LONG WORDS.

BUT THEN, AS HE NOTES, "THE FUN BEGAN."

BARRY O TOLD THESE REPORTERS,  "I GOT TO GIVE A SPEECH ABOUT THE SEATTLE SEAHAWS -- 1330 WORDS. PRIME JOCK MEAT.  I WAS REALLY LOVING IT, GRINNING AND FLIRTING, WONDERING IF THE BOYS BROUGHT ANY STINKY JOCK STRAPS FOR ME TO PLAY WITH.  THAT'S WHAT'S IMPORTANT, YOU KNOW?  WHAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT."


FROM THE TCI WIRE:


The last time I saw Barack?

You like roses and kisses and pretty men to tell you
All those pretty lies, pretty lies
When you gonna realize they're only pretty lies
Only pretty lies, just pretty lies
-- "The Last Time I Saw Richard," written by Joni Mitchell, first appears on her Blue album.


Pretty lies no longer work as well for US President Barack Obama.  And today he spoke about the latest Veterans Affairs scandal.

“The question is this: if the administration has known about these issues for at least four years, why is it just now taking action?"

That is the question to ask, we'll get to it in a moment.

In the United States, the VA stands accused of cooking the books.  Numerous VA medical centers maintained two sets of appointment lists.  The first one, the official one kept in the computer system, demonstrated veterans received medical attention within 14 days of needing it.  That list is the fairy tale.  The reality was the off books list which demonstrated veterans were actually waiting weeks and months.

The fairy tale list was used to give the impression that VA was doing their job and serving veterans in a timely manner.  It was also used to reward officials for strong performances -- resulting in raises for them and bonuses.  Again, this list was a lie.


Most recently, Patricia DiCarlo and Scott Bronstein (CNN) reported, "An audit team sent to the Malcom Randall VA Medical Center in Gainesville, Florida, discovered a list of patients needing follow-up appointments that was kept on paper instead of in the VA's electronic computer system."  It is just the most recent addition to a growing list.  Scott Bronstein and Tom Cohen's (CNN) report, "Meanwhile, the number of Veterans Affairs facilities under investigation has expanded to 26, the agency's Office of Inspector General confirmed Tuesday. Last week, the inspector general told a Senate committee that 10 facilities were being investigated."

As the scandal has grown, people have awaited word from Barack.  Monday, the White House said Barack had just learned of the scandal and then it was revealed Barack learned of the scandal right before he was sworn in as president in January 2009.

Stephanie Gaskill (Defense One) reminds,  "In 2008, Sen. Barack Obama vowed to fix the Department of Veterans Affairs if elected president. But over the past 5 years, problem after problem has emerged: a massive case backlog, delayed GI Bill payments, a stalled electronic records system, and now allegations that federal employees have been lying about wait times at VA hospitals."  David Zucchino, Cindy Carcamo and Alan Zarembo (Los Angeles Times) offer the following examples:

 • In Washington state, Navy veteran Walter “Burgie” Burkhartsmeier, 73, had to wait two months to get an MRI exam at a VA facility in Seattle for shooting pains down his left arm. Eighteen months passed before someone read the MRI results — which showed bony projections on his spinal cord that put him at risk of paralysis if he were struck in the back.
• In Texas, Carolyn Richardson, 70, said a VA doctor last year ordered “immediate” chemotherapy for her husband, Army veteran Anson “Dale” Richardson, 66, but a two-month delay robbed him of the chance to fight the throat cancer that killed him Nov. 4.
• In Phoenix, Thomas Breen, 71, a Navy veteran with a history of bladder cancer, waited two months last fall for a follow-up appointment at the VA facility there after discovering blood in his urine. His family finally took him to a private hospital that diagnosed him with terminal bladder cancer. He died Nov. 30.
• In Nevada, Sandi Niccum, 78, a blind Navy veteran, was forced to wait five hours for emergency room treatment at a VA facility in North Las Vegas last year. Niccum, who was weeping and pounding the floor with her cane because of intense pain in her abdomen, died less than a month later after a large mass was found. A VA investigation did not link the care delay to her death, but it faulted the facility for the long wait and for failing to monitor Niccum.

• And in Durham, N.C., two employees were put on administrative leave last week after an internal review uncovered irregularities in appointments, a local VA spokeswoman said.


Today, Barack finally spoke himself about the scandal.

What did he say?

Among other things, "He has put his heart and soul into this thing. At this stage, Rick is committed to solving the problem and working with us to do it."

What?

Yes, Barack finally spoke about the scandal and his primary concern was "Rick" -- Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki.

"Rick," Barack wants the world to know, "has put his heart and soul into this thing."

So forget you, Barry Coates, the VA's failures kept you from getting timely medical treatment meaning your cancer wasn't caught in time and progressed to stage-four.  Your problems are nothing, apparently, when compared to "Rick" Shinseki's "heart and soul."  (Barry Coates shared his story with the House Veterans Affairs Committee on April 9th -- nothing in Barack's speech indicated he was aware of how the VA failed Coates or other veterans in the same situation.)

You can read his remarks in full here -- all 1370 words.

All 1370 words.

I emphasize that for a reason.

Barack made a joke of veterans today.

He thought 1370 words were adequate for this issue?

On the same day he gave a speech "Honoring the Super Bowl Chapmion Seattle Seahawks"?

Really?  Because I think he came off looking like a fool -- and an uncaring and thoughtless fool at that.

1370 words in his VA scandal speech.

We're supposed to take that seriously when he gives a speech on a football team the same day and that speech is 1330 words -- only 40 less than his speech on a VA scandal that threatens the health and well being of veterans?

He should be ashamed of himself.

Veterans health and lives in jeopardy was only worth 40 more prepared remarks than Barack's gushing (and whoring) over a sports team.  He and his speech writers should be ashamed of themselves.

Not surprisingly, Barack's speech did not go over well.



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