Buffeted with a whirlwind of criticism in the wake of
revelations of widespread fraud in VA Hospital and outpatient clinic wait
times, President Obama somewhat sheepishly admitted during a news conference on
the matter that he had heard nothing of the practice on his travels around the
country. With at least one instance of false scheduling at 65% of the
facilities between September 30, 2013 and March 31, 2014 and 13% of schedulers
being instructed in how to falsify wait-times,[1]
it is odd that word had not reached the president’s ear. Maybe this is not so
odd after all, for the president’s domestic trips tended to be oriented to
campaign fundraisers and speeches oriented to proposed legislation. In other
words, the president—and Barak Obama is hardly alone here—put his legislative
role above that of his office as chief executive.
1. Meghan
Hoyer and Gregg Zoroya, “Fraud Masks VA Wait Times,” USA Today, June 3, 2014.
