Stepping Into The Fire: Veteran Advocates & Pols Sound Off On Obama's Choice To Lead Scandal-Plagued VA

Robert McDonald is Obama's pick to run VA

Unnamed White House officials have told USA Today and other news organizations that President Obama will nominate former Procter & Gamble executive Robert McDonald today as the next secretary of the embattled Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). If approved by the Senate, and that seems likely, McDonald would replace Eric Shinseki, the retired four-star general who resigned a month ago amid a firestorm of controversy over shocking reports that veterans died waiting to be seen by a doctor, and that management at VA hospitals and clinics falsified veteran wait times, according to multiple whistleblowers inside VA.

The expected announcement later today comes just three days after Rob Nabors, a White House staffer assigned to address VA's problems, issued a review to the president concluding that the agency has “a corrosive culture” that has affected care for veterans. 

“The problems inherent within an agency with an extensive field structure are exacerbated by poor management and communication structures, distrust between some VA employees and management, a history of retaliation toward employees raising issues, and a lack of accountability across all grade levels,” the report said.

Corruption and unethical behavior are reportedly rampant among VA's mid-level management. As for the hundreds of thousands of workers at VA who are dedicated to helping veterans every day, morale is said to be at an all-time low.

Is McDonald the right man to clean up this mess? A 61-year-old West Point graduate and Army captain, McDonald reportedly worked his way from entry-level employee to CEO at Procter & Gamble over the course of three decades. He's a surprise pick, but some observers believe his combined military leadership/corporate management background make him uniquely qualified to lead the agency. 

Phillip Carter of the Center for a New American Security told the Washington Post that Obama's choice of McDonald "suggests a real focus on customer satisfaction, as opposed to what you might get from a retired general or medical leader. It is probably a wise choice given the concerns right now of veterans.”

A White House statement not surprisingly described McDonald as the "perfect person to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs during this important time." 

But some veteran advocates are skeptical.

"I have a great deal of respect for McDonalds’ accomplishments over the years, but I don’t believe he understands the internal problems of VA," said Thomas Bandzul, legislative counsel for Veterans and Military Families for Progress and past associate counsel for Veterans for Common Sense. "And by the time he does appreciate the complexities and comes up with a strategy, the next president will already be elected."

Bandzul said he can’t see the relevance of McDonald's West Point degree, "or how an O-3 from the Army will have much of an impact when he’s replacing a war General and combat soldier. VA needs a person who isn’t afraid to swing an ax to chop out the deadwood while understanding where and what to plant as replacements for the forest. I don’t think this is the guy to do that."

Rick Weidman, director of policy & government affairs at Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA), said that while McDonald's work outside the government will hopefully mean he takes a "fresh look" at the problems within VA, "The management structure at VA has been so bad for so long, and there is so much back-scratching, he will have to create a new management group at the hospital level and replace the directors and assistant directors. He must bring in people who are dedicated to helping veterans, as opposed to people who just want a job for which they get bonuses. I believe almost all of them ought to go."

Steve House, an Army veteran who was exposed to toxic chemicals while stationed in South Korea after the Vietnam War, spent a decade trying to get his disability claim approved at VA. He said that as a West Point graduate, McDonald is more likely to "roll over and go along with anything the Department of Defense says."

However, House said, if McDonald "steps into the VA management cow pie and runs it like a lean, profitable corporation and starts swinging the axe - beginning at the top - and gets rid of the overpaid, lazy VA management personnel, and puts all of the attention and money back into the system, and brings in more doctors, nurses and technicians, he could make it work."

Anthony Hardie, a Gulf War veteran and board member of Veterans for Common Sense, said, "I think the last thing VA needs is another General or symbolic war hero. What VA needs is a complete Operation Cleansweep. I hope with Bob McDonald's experience catering to stakeholders rather than employees that he will be able to clean house at VA and completely shift its focus. VA needs to be a service-oriented organization that goes above veterans' expectations to serve and help and heal them, rather than continuing to work against so many of the veterans it is supposed to be serving in VA's benefits, healthcare, and research silos."

To retain credibility, Hardie added, "one of the first goals he must achieve is to utterly destroy VA's current culture of delays, denial, and retribution against those who speak up and out." 
 

One respected veterans' advocate, who asked for anonymity, was in no mood to be diplomatic about the president's pick. 

"Another West Point grad? No VA experience," the advocate said. "Has he used VA medical care? Filed a disability claim? Bought a house using VA? Bought life insurance? Will he clean house? Change VA's slow culture? Work with Congress on full funding? Be transparent? Start Gulf War research for treatments? End the claim appeal disaster: 280,000 appeals waiting 5-10 years? Fire VA's Undersecretary for Benefits Allison Hickey and all her staff? Put veterans first?"

McDonald Supported Mitt Romney

Meanwhile, McDonald represents a rare case in which Obama has reached across the aisle for help. McDonald has supported numerous Republican politicians. Roll Call  reports that he gave $15,000 to the Mitt Romney campaign committees in 2012, and Politico reports that less than a year ago, McDonald made a contribution of $1,000 to House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), who incidentally gave rare support to Obama for choosing McDonald, who is an Ohio native.

“Bob McDonald is a good man, a veteran, and a strong leader with decades of experience in the private sector," Boehner said in a statement. "With those traits, he’s the kind of person who is capable of implementing the kind of dramatic systemic change that is badly needed and long overdue at the VA. But the next VA secretary can only succeed in implementing that type of change if his boss, the president, first commits to doing whatever it takes to give our veterans the world class health care system they deserve by articulating a vision for sweeping reform.”

Rep. Jeff Miller (R-FL), chair of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, has been decrying VA corruption for several years and made it clear that McDonald must do more than previous VA leaders, or things at the agency will not change.

“If confirmed by the Senate, Robert McDonald will inherit a Department of Veterans Affairs under a specter of corruption that may very well surpass anything in the history of American government," Miller said in a statement. He added that McDonald will need to "root out the culture of dishonesty and fraud that has taken hold within the department and is contributing to all of its most pressing challenges. Quite simply, those who created the VA scandal will need to be purged from the system."

But personnel changes at the agency won’t be enough, according to Miller, who said the new VA leader will need to focus on "solving problems instead of downplaying or hiding them, holding employees accountable for mismanagement and negligence that harms veterans, and understanding that taxpayer funded organizations such as VA have a responsibility to provide information to Congress and the public rather than stonewalling them.” 

Paul Rieckhoff, CEO and founder of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), said in a statement that McDonald is "not a name that was on anyone's radar over the last few weeks. His branding background may prove helpful, because there are few organizations in America with a worse reputation with its customers than the VA right now. He's been away from the military for quite a while, and will have to move quickly to show he is committed to and understands the post-9/11 generation of veterans. We look forward to hearing from him soon and working together to support our vets."

Rieckhoff added that as VA secretary, McDonald will need to do a better job reaching out to veterans service organizations (VSO) and other veteran advocates to better connect with the post-9/11 generation of veterans.

"In addition to reforming the VA healthcare system, combating veteran suicide and improving access to mental health care are major priorities for our community," Rieckhoff said. "As the new VA chief, McDonald has the ability to revitalize a broken system and alter the status quo, however without a contemporary background in our community, he will need to reach to VSOs and other leading advocates for vets. The White House did not reach out to VSOs during their search process and we hope they will now."

Robert Rosebrock, a veterans advocate and director of the Old Veterans Guard in Los Angeles, said the president should have chosen someone with hospital experience. 

"Going from a retired four-star general of the Army to a retired corporate executive of Proctor & Gamble indicates the president is rolling the dice again with another has-been of unrelated talent to run the VA," Rosebrock said. "The president should have nominated a currently employed and successful executive at a major hospital like the Mayo Clinic."

Sandy Cook, a retired Army officer and founder of Veterans United for Truth, said that while news reports emphasize "how good McDonald is with leaders, that does not mean he is going to be good with the bureaucratic drones in the VA. It certainly doesn’t mean that he will be good at the bottom of the pile where the veterans live. Generals have proven that they can’t run it. Bureaucrats don’t respond to orders. I am afraid that McDonald will prove that businessmen can’t run it either. Bureaucrats don’t respond to management, they just outlive it."

Cook said he has "little hope that anything great is going to happen soon. They’ll come up with new metrics, and fire a couple of people, and then will tell us, once again' that everything is going swimmingly, and spend most of their time patting each other on the back. McDonald will take credit, Obama will take credit, and Congressmen everywhere will take credit."

But Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-Vt) is taking a wait-and-see approach to McDonald.

"The VA needs significantly improved transparency and accountability and it needs an increased number of doctors, nurses and other medical staff so that all eligible veterans get high-quality health care in a timely manner," Sanders said in a statement. "I look forward to meeting with Mr. McDonald next week in order to ascertain his views on these important issues.”

San Diego Chargers 2014 Preview: The NFL's Stealth Bomber Flying Under The Radar

Charger OLB Dwight Freeney is healthy again - chargers.com 

San Diego is known for its defense contractors such as Northrop Grumman, builders of the legendary aircraft known as the Stealth Bomber, which is designed to penetrate dense defenses and fly undetected. San Diego is also known for its San Diego Chargers, which is similarly designed to penetrate dense defenses and fly undetected. 

Despite a new coach and general manager, a rejuvenated Pro Bowl quarterback, consecutively stellar drafts, shrewd free-agent and in-house signings, an improbable late run last season and a 27-10 playoff road win in January against the Cincinnati Bengals, who hadn't lost at home all season, the Chargers are the Stealth Bomber of the NFL: They're a potentially lethal machine that is flying way under the national media's radar. 

The league's know-it-all pundits aren't saying much about or expecting much from this group. In Sporting News' splashy 228-page season preview, for example, the Chargers aren't even mentioned until page 24, where they're preposterously picked as the 23rd best team in league. Really, Sporting News? If their editors did send a reporter to the Chargers' facility this off-season, that correspondent must have spent more time enjoying his employer's expense account at one or more of the Gaslamp District's finest restaurants than studying the Chargers' workouts or meetings.

If NFL beat writers paid closer attention they'd discover what the Charger faithful already know: this team is ready to fly. If a few key players like outside linebackers Dwight Freeney (above) and Melvin Ingram can stay healthy, the Chargers will contend for the AFC Championship, which was in sight last year before a close but disappointing playoff road loss to the Denver Broncos, a team San Diego dominated in Denver earlier in the season with an impressive ball control offense.

There's every reason to believe the Chargers will be better this season than last, despite a tougher schedule. The virtually unstoppable offense returns all 11 starters and now boasts another veteran running back in Donald Brown. The offense will also benefit from the courageous return of wideout Malcolm Floyd, who nearly broke his neck last year. 

QB Philip Rivers loves beating the Chiefs at Arrowhead - chargers.com

Even more importantly, the holes in San Diego's defense appear to have been filled (more on that in a minute). That few football sages outside San Diego recognize this is probably just the way general manager Tom Telesco and head coach Mike McCoy want it. Telesco, 40, who last year replaced the pompous A.J. Smith, and McCoy, 41, who last year replaced the hapless Norv Turner, are quietly but steadfastly making this team a contender again.

In other words, let the haters hate and the doubters doubt. Meanwhile, Telesco, who spent 15 years with the Indianapolis Colts in various positions including vice president of football operations, is a smooth and tireless operator who has resided over two superb drafts. Among others, Telesco last year picked Cal wide receiver Keenan Allen, a burgeoning superstar who Sporting News named its NFL Rookie of the Year in 2013. And this year Telesco selected TCU cornerback Jason Verrett, who has the tools to become a difference-making defensive back, which is what San Diego needs.
 
Telesco is also responsible for such smart free-agent acquisitions as cornerback Brandon Flowers and linebacker Freeney, and for the important re-signings of such key Charger starters as linebacker Donald Butler and offensive guard Chad Rinehart.

Meanwhile, McCoy deploys an effective coaching style that stresses discipline, toughness and accountability but also embraces a family-like environment. The only knock on the stoic first-time head coach is his sometimes dismissive posture with the media. But if he keeps winning, I can live with that. I expect McCoy to have a long and very successful NFL head coaching career. If he could just loosen up and lighten up a bit with reporters, it wouldn't hurt.

Pro Bowl Quarterback Ready for Deeper Playoff Run

The Chargers already had an elite quarterback in Philip Rivers, who as I predicted returned to the Pro Bowl for the fifth time last season after suffering behind arguably the worst offensive line in football for two prior seasons. Last year, that 'O' line was rebuilt, Rivers was given more responsibility, and more short and medium-range passes were plugged into the offensive scheme. The result was a thing of beauty.

Chargers face Bengals in road playoff win in January - chargers.com

Despite losing Danario Alexander and Floyd, the team's two starting wide receivers, to injuries last season, Rivers shined. Proving his clueless doubters wrong, Rivers led the league in completion percentage, threw for 4,479 yards and 32 touchdowns, and tied a career high with a 105.5 passer rating. As I wrote last December, he easily could have been named the league's Most Valuable Player over Manning. His overall numbers were bested only by Manning's gaudy stats, but Rivers had less to work with.

With a record of 5-7 at one point and seemingly out of the playoff race, Rivers and his team caught fire, winning five in a row. They probably would have beaten the Denver Broncos in the playoffs if they had only a slightly better secondary. Despite playing in that game without workhorse running back Ryan Mathews, who had his best season overall but injured his ankle, Rivers and wide receiver Allen found their rhythm in the second half. The Bolts scored 17 points in the fourth quarter and Bronco fans feared the worst.
 
San Diego's defense forced two turnovers and held Denver to fewer than than 30 points for the third time last season. But ultimately it came down to a third-and-17 from Denver's 20-yard line with 3:06 left. As ESPN correctly reported, a "miscommunication in coverage" by Charger defensive backs allowed Manning to connect with tight end Julius Thomas on a 21-yard pass. And that was pretty much it.

Final score: Denver 24, San Diego 17.

Confidence Building at Charger Headquarters

Despite that bitterly disappointing loss, Charger players and coaches gained a ton of confidence last season. After the Denver game Charger defensive lineman Corey Liuget, who played all of last season with a torn labrum but is healthy now, told ESPN maturely, “We just have to learn from it. And next year, when we come into this type of environment, we know what we have to do.”

Added cornerback Shareece Wright, “We have high expectations now. We expect a lot from this team, and each player. We're looking forward."
 
Looking forward, indeed. There's an infectious optimism now at Chargers HQ, and it's not just because of the playoff win. It's also because the team addressed each of its alleged deficiencies. And because they are a much healthier bunch now. Anyone who watched the Chargers last year knows they were just a couple players and a little bit of confidence short of being a championship contender. 

Former Chiefs DB Brandon Flowers is now a Charger - kcchiefs.com

San Diego's weakest links were the secondary and the pass rush, which of course work in tandem. Bolt defenders gave up the fourth-most passing yards in the NFL last season, and had just 11 pics, which was the fifth-fewest in the league. But the 2014 secondary should be the team's most improved. 

Wright improved his game demonstrably in the last half of the season, and San Diego drafted the speedy and athletic Verrett in the first round. He could be a starter as soon as late September, although Wright will challenge him. It'll be one of the more interesting battles at training camp, which begins July 24.

An Enormous Free Agent Signing This Week

But the biggest news of the Chargers' entire off-season came this week, when the Bolts signed former Kansas City Chiefs' cornerback Flowers to a one-year contract filled with incentives. This is a huge get that should give San Diego what it needs to catch Denver in the AFC West.

Flowers, who's only 28, made the Pro Bowl last season, but the truth is he struggled in the Chiefs' new press-man scheme. However, there's no question he is a talented DB with huge upside and a lot left in the tank. He fits Charger defensive coordinator's scheme much better, and he's charismatic and a little cocky, with a bit of a chip on his shoulder. These are are all things San Diego's ill-defined defensive unit desperately needs. 

The fact that Flowers agreed to a one-year deal is a statement that he knows he has to prove he is worthy of a new long-term contract. Whether he's a slot corner or an outside cover guy, I think Flowers will be all over the field this year. He has the ability and the desire. He'll be a game-changer. 

Pass Rush Will Be Much Improved

As for the Chargers' pass rush, it wasn't pretty last season. In past years SD's outside pass rushers often gave the team an edge over Peyton Manning dating back to when he was with the Colts. But San Diego tied for 23rd in the league in sacks last season with 35, and had just 10 sacks on third down, which was second worst in the NFL. 

Freeney, for whom the Bolts paid big bucks for a two-year deal, looked good for the first three games, but his season ended in the fourth game when he tore his quad tendon. Freeney is healthy now and itching to show that his career is not done. Charger fans are obviously hoping that Freeney, a class act who is very well liked off the field, lasts more than four games this season.
 
Freeney is bookended by two other quality outside linebackers who've battled injuries but are good to go: former Baltimore Raven Jarret Johnson, who missed five games for the Chargers last season because of hand and hamstring injuries, and Ingram, who was stalled 16 months ago by a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). He played the last four games last season and is expected to be 100 percent when the Bolts play their first game at Arizona on Monday Night Football, Sept. 8.

The Chargers also drafted an athletic outside linebacker in second-rounder Jerry Attaochu from Georgia Tech, who ate quarterbacks for lunch in college. He'll likely get a fair amount of playing time this season, as well, to keep Freeney, Johnson and Ingram fresh. If the three experienced pass rushers can stay off the disabled list, and rookie Attaochu and the several other linebacker options the Bolts enjoy play as well as expected, this unit will be the team's biggest surprise to those who aren't paying attention.

Is the Charger Defense Catching Up to the Offense?

Overall, San Diego's much-improved D is working to catch up to an offense that is one of the league's best. If the offensive line plays as it did last year, and it should, the Charger offense will be scary good. One of the few football writers who's been writing about this is ESPN's Eric Williams, who recently noted that in off-season workouts, Rivers picked up right where he left off last season. 

"Few balls hit the ground during two-minute drills, as Ladarius Green, Keenan Allen, Malcolm Floyd, Vincent Brown and Eddie Royal made catches all over the field," Williams wrote. "Add to that a diverse group of running backs in Ryan Mathews, Danny Woodhead and Donald Brown in playing behind an experienced offensive line, and the Chargers should have one of the best offenses in the NFL for a second straight season."

Well put, Eric. Despite that astute observation, though, the Chargers aren't getting much love. They aren't mentioned much in discussions of post-season possibilities, let alone potential Super Bowl contenders. Sporting News doesn't even think the Bolts will make the playoffs. But they will. 

If just a few things go right, this team will not only make the playoffs, they'll shock the football world and be the AFC's representative in Super Bowl XLIX in Arizona next February, perhaps against the San Francisco 49ers in a rematch of Super Bowl XXIX in 1995. By then, maybe the Chargers will even show up on the media's radar. Meantime, keep your eyes open for the 2014 San Diego Chargers, pro football's Stealth Bomber.