3 Examples of How The Obama Administration Is Bad for Veterans

I could not have gotten this point across better than my Facebook friend with his sarcasm-laced status: great time to be a vetAmerican veterans are getting hammered on all sides right now, from the depressing loss of all they’ve worked to win in Iraq over the past decade, to the backstabbing deal that traded an alleged deserter for Taliban leaders, to the life-threatening bureaucratic incompetence and utter corruption of the Veterans Administration.

As predicted, Democratic control of government is bad for our troops who have sacrificed so much.

First, there was the Phoenix VA scandal leaked about two months ago. Some forty veterans died, neglected, while awaiting care because of a secret waitlist. President Obama took his sweet time firing Secretary Eric Shinseki, who spent the last five and a half years doing who knows what, despite the fact that there have long been well-known and severe shortcomings in the VA. Said shortcomings did not stop the Phoenix VA giving out thousands of bonuses over the past three years.

Second, as President Obama “ends” the war in Iraq, the ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria) has begun to take control of the country, executing “apostates” horrifically. Over 4,400 American soldiers have been killed and close to 32,000 wounded fighting against – among other things – terrorist organizations, and now in a small span of time, a group possibly more extreme than al-Qaeda is running rampant in our absence. Afghanistan may well suffer a similar fate given the same kind of neglect.

Finally, a deal was made to swap five Taliban members for one American soldier. Certainly, as Charles Krauthammer has pointed out, we value life more than these scumbags, but Bergdahl was quite possibly a deserter and at least two of the Taliban members will go back to fight and kill more Americans. Why was this a priority while Iraq is spinning out of control? Besides, this type of deal only makes kidnappings of Americans more attractive to the enemy, because they know they can get some of their comrades returned in exchange for their victims.

Does the Obama administration take any interest in or have any idea the outcomes of these decisions?

The men and women who are willing to sacrifice, be away from their families for extended periods and risk injury, disability and even death – they are the best among us. Anyone who cares about our soldiers and the sacrifices they make ought to be livid at the incompetence and the indifference this administration has evidenced.

Our veterans deserve better than what this federal government has given them.