VA secretary quits, ending erratic tenure

Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Jim Nicholson resigned yesterday, leaving a checkered legacy of budget shortfalls at the department and mixed reviews on the Hill.

Democrats urged President Bush to promptly nominate a replacement to begin rebuilding the VA.

“It is clear that Secretary Nicholson is leaving the VA worse off than he found it,” Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) said in a statement.

{mosads}Sen. Patty Murray (Wash.), the Democratic Caucus secretary, referenced Nicholson’s past term as national GOP chairman when she called for a new VA chief who is not “being rewarded for political loyalty.”

“That means a truthful advocate for veterans, not an apologist for this administration’s failures to plan,” Murray said.

Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) echoed Murray’s words: “The VA system is not the ‘gold standard’ it was promised to be, and our veterans deserve better,” he said. “We need a leader who will fight for the resources these brave men and women deserve.”

Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii) gave Nicholson a more positive sendoff in his statement.

“I have found him willing to work with the committee and the Congress on behalf of our nation’s veterans,” Akaka said.

Sen. Larry Craig (Idaho), the veterans committee’s ranking Republican, also hailed Nicholson’s service, noting in a statement that the VA health system has continued to win awards for excellence during his two years in the Cabinet.