VA Scandal Explodes 

There was an unusual late-night hearing on Capitol Hill last night as top officials from the Veterans Administration appeared before the House Veterans Affairs Committee. The hearing began at 7:30 p.m., just hours after the release of a damning inspector general's report, and concluded just before midnight. 

In addition to its findings of lost patients and outrageously long wait times, the report stated that 42 VA medical facilities are under investigation, up from 26 hospitals a week ago. 

This latest IG report greatly eroded what little support VA Secretary Eric Shinseki had left on Capitol Hill. As of this writing, 16 House Democrats and eight Senate Democrats have publicly demanded Shinseki's resignation. 

Others, like Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), are calling for a criminal investigation of the VA by the Justice Department. Sen. Blumenthal said recently that there was "credible and specific evidence of criminal wrongdoing across the country in more than thirty places." 

Yesterday Rush Limbaugh reminded his audience of how Obama attacked doctors in 2009, accusing them without any evidence of needlessly cutting off people's feet for profit. 

Think about that for a moment. The president smeared doctors to advance his agenda of a big government takeover of the private health care system. Now we find out what is going on in his VA. There's no evidence of unnecessary surgeries, but there is plenty of evidence that many of our heroes who needed surgeries could not get them. 

And what about that profit motive? As the inspector general's report stated, the main reason for the falsified records and wait lists was so that the bureaucrats could get cash bonuses. 

Obama Bombs . . . At West Point 

President Obama used yesterday's West Point graduation ceremony to unveil his latest foreign policy doctrine. It was not well received. CNN's Jim Clancy said, "It was a philosophical speech. It was not a commander-in-chief speaking to his troops. And you heard the reception. I mean, it was pretty icy." 

The Washington Post, not exactly as bastion of right-wing thinking, was scathing in its criticism, accusing the president of "binding America's hands on foreign affairs." The Post added that in presenting his approach, "Mr. Obama marshalled a virtual corps of straw men…" Like his attack on doctors, Obama is frequently unable to make his case without questioning the motives of others. 

For example, Obama was presumably referring to Iraq when he condemned "our willingness to rush into military adventures … without building international support and legitimacy for our action." That rhetoric suggests George W. Bush and our allies recklessly went to war. That is a popular misconception on the left, but it is untrue and the president knows better. Congress approved the use of force in Iraq and Bush mustered a coalition twice the size Obama had for his military adventure in Libya. 

In 1980, Ronald Reagan famously asked, "Are you better off today than you were four years ago? Here's a new variation on that theme: Can you name a single country in the world that we have better relations with today than we did four years ago? We've alienated our friends and our enemies are on the march.

Remember Obama and Hillary's famous "reset" with Russia? Vladimir Putin has reset the relationship on his terms. Obama said he wanted to pivot away from the Middle East and toward Asia. Well, China is snarling at us, seizing Japanese islands and sinking Vietnamese ships. 

Obama began his administration by sending letters to Iran's ayatollah, vowing to work with the Islamic Republic if it unclenched its fist. Iran seems to have clenched both fists with the ayatollah's latest declaration that the jihad will only end when "society can get rid of the oppressors' front with America at the head of it." 

For the most part, the left loves Obama's foreign policy, and there are elements on the Paulian right that won't fight it for their own reasons. But history has taught us that these kinds of policies, often promoted with rhetoric about peace, inevitably make war more likely. 

American Exceptionalism 

During his first overseas trip as president, Obama was asked in France about his view of American exceptionalism. He said, "I believe in American exceptionalism, just as I suspect that the Brits believe in British exceptionalism and the Greeks believe in Greek exceptionalism." 

Everybody in that audience, and certainly the left-wing American foreign policy establishment, understood what that answer meant. It largely disregarded the concept of American exceptionalism. 

As Ronald Reagan often stated, America has been mightily blessed and because of that we have obligations to defend the idea of freedom and to speak out for human rights, something Obama rarely does. Yesterday's speech at West Point would have been a good opportunity for Obama to say something about Meriam Yehya Ibrahim, the Christian woman facing a death sentence in Sudan. He did not. 

But with his foreign policy in disarray, along with America's standing in the world, Obama tried to recover by telling an audience of exceptional young men and women that the country they are serving is also exceptional. Yesterday, Obama told the West Point graduates, "I believe in American exceptionalism with every fiber of my being." 

Why did he feel the need to stress that point? Why don't more of his policies reflect it? 

2nd Vote 

During election years, you take time to research candidates and issues so you can cast an informed ballot when you vote. But you are also "voting" in other ways each and every day. 

When you shop at a store or buy a cup of coffee, you're "voting" for the values that store or company promotes. And as we have seen recently with the Benham brothers, Brendan Eich and Hobby Lobby, companies do have values! 

I know many conservatives are frustrated that their tax dollars go to fund Planned Parenthood. But every day, many conservatives buy coffee unaware that some portion of their money goes to Planned Parenthood. 

Now there's an easy way for you to know what your dollars are supporting before you buy. Our friends at 2ndVote.com research the policies and values of major companies. They have also produced a great app that you can download and have with you wherever you go. And it's free! Click here to learn more. 

Be an informed voter and an informed consumer. And make sure every choice reflects your values! 

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