Remarks by the President in Announcement of Ambassador Jim Nicholson as the Secretary of Veterans Affairs Nominee

12/9/2004 10:54:00 AM


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To: National Desk

Contact: White House Press Office, 202-456-2580

WASHINGTON, Dec. 9 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The following is a transcript of remarks by the president at the announcement of Ambassador Jim Nicholson as the Secretary of Veterans Affairs Nominee:

The Roosevelt Room

9:47 A.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. Please be seated. Good morning. I'm pleased to announce my nomination of Ambassador Jim Nicholson to the -- to be the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

Jim Nicholson is a patriot, a man of deep conviction who has answered his country's call many times. As a young man from Iowa, raised in modest circumstances, he became a cadet at West Point in the late 1950s, and went on to become an Army Ranger and paratrooper. As a Ranger, he fought in Vietnam, where he won multiple decorations for bravery in combat, including the Bronze Star and the Combat Infantry Badge. After eight years on active duty, he joined the Army Reserves, where he served for 22 more years before retiring as a full colonel.

Throughout his career, Jim has shown the same honor, integrity and commitment to service that defined his life as a military officer. He and his wife, Suzanne, have given back generously to their community and have been leaders in numerous volunteer causes in their home state of Colorado. He was a respected chairman of the Republican National Committee. And for the past three years he has served as the United States Ambassador to the Vatican. Jim has worked with the Vatican to advance many vital foreign policy goals, including fighting poverty, hunger, AIDS, expanding religious liberty around the world, and ending the brutal practice of human trafficking.

I'm grateful to Jim for his superb work as our Ambassador, and I now have asked him to accept a new assignment, to serve his country and his fellow veterans.

As Secretary of Veterans Affairs, he will lead a department of more than 230,000 employees responsible for ensuring our nation's -- that our nation's veterans receive the health care and other benefits our country has promised them. Twenty-five million Americans are military veterans who stepped forward to serve when the nation needed them. The nation owes them in return a VA that is dedicated to effective, prompt attention to their needs. That has been a commitment of my administration for the last four years, and it will remain a commitment for the next four years.

When confirmed by the Senate, Jim Nicholson will succeed Tony Principi, who has been a fine member of my Cabinet. Secretary Principi is a man who insists on results, and he has gotten results. Thanks to his leadership, veterans and their families have seen many improvements in VA services. They're receiving better care, and their claims are processed more quickly. Tony Principi has made it the department's highest priority to assist veterans with service-related disabilities, low incomes, and other special needs. He's also launched a program to help homeless veterans find permanent housing. In all his work as Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Tony Principi has shown himself to be an outstanding executive, a friend to his fellow veterans, and a goodhearted man. I'm proud of his service, and I wish him and Liz all the very best.

Jim Nicholson will build on Tony Principi's achievements in continuing to modernize the VA, especially the VA health care system. Jim has the judgment and the character and the management expertise to do this job well.

I thank him for agreeing to serve. I also thank Suzanne and other members of their family. I want to thank their son, Nick and his wife, Charlotte; daughter, Katie, and son-in-law, Bo. I hope the Senate will confirm Jim Nicholson very soon. I look forward to welcoming him to my Cabinet.

Congratulations.

AMBASSADOR NICHOLSON: Thank you, Mr. President.

Thank you, Mr. President. It's a real honor to be here in the White House with you and members of my family. I'm joined here today, as the President said, by my wonderful wife of 37 years, Suzanne; and by our son, Nick, and his wife, Charlotte; our daughter, Katie, and her husband, Bo. Our son, R.J., is unable to be with us today.

Mr. President, I am grateful to have represented our country at the Vatican and we will really miss Rome and our wonderful team at the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See. If confirmed by the Senate, it would be a singular honor for me to serve in your Cabinet as Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

At times like this, one tends to ponder their past. And when I think of growing up dirt poor in a tenant house without plumbing and sometimes without food, I marvel at America. The boy from Struble, Iowa may serve in the President's Cabinet. How could this happen? For me, it is because of the opportunities that my country gave me as a cadet at West Point and as a soldier. These experiences have defined my life, shaped my abilities and my desire to serve.

Mr. President, you are giving me yet another wonderful chance to serve my country, and a very special group of countrymen and countrywomen -- our veterans. As you have said, there are now more than 25 million veterans, and three-quarters of them have served during wars or hostilities. In addition, many of tomorrow's veterans are bravely defending America's freedom today in uniform abroad. All of our nations veterans, present and future, deserve strong leadership at the Department of Veterans Affairs. The Department has had such a leader in Secretary Tony Principi. I look forward to building upon his fine record, and I appreciate his experienced counsel and his continued friendship.

Our military is the pride of our country. We can't pay them enough to do the things that we ask of them -- the sacrifices, the separations, the heroics. They answer the call for one reason: Their country needs them. Our country depends on them and they have never, ever let us down. We must not let them down, either.

President George Washington spoke of our obligations to the veterans of the Revolutionary War. "As more of a common debt," he said, "it is a debt of honor." I know you feel the same way, Mr. President. You have made the health and well-being of our veterans an important priority of your administration. I will proudly join you in keeping those commitments, should I be confirmed. I am eager for the work ahead and I am grateful for the confidence.

Thank you very much, Mr. President.

THE PRESIDENT: Good job, Jim. Thank you. Congratulations. (Applause.)

END

9:56 A.M. EST

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http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/biog/6090.htm

BIOGRAPHY

Jim Nicholson
Ambassador, Holy See
Term of Appointment: 08/10/2001 to present



Jim Nicholson was sworn in as Ambassador to the Holy See on August 10, 2001.

Mr. Nicholson was born during the Great Depression in 1938, the third child of seven, and raised on a tenant farm in Struble, Iowa. Like most poor American families, the Nicholsons knew that a good education would create opportunity and Jim Nicholson worked hard to earn an appointment to the United States Military Academy. He notes his Army service as the defining experience in his life, imbuing him with a sense of duty, honor, and country.

After graduation from West Point, Mr. Nicholson served 8 years as an Army Ranger and paratrooper, then 22 years in the Army Reserve, retiring with the rank of full colonel. As a Ranger in Vietnam, he earned the Bronze Star Medal, the Combat Infantry Badge, the Meritorious Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Vietnamese Cross for Gallantry and two Air Medals.

Mr. Nicholson also holds a master's degree in public policy from Columbia University in New York and a law degree from the University of Denver. He practiced law with a major Denver law firm and after two years of practice, became a partner, specializing in real estate, municipal finance, and zoning law.

Leaving the law in 1978, he founded Nicholson Enterprises, Inc., a developer of master planned residential communities. In 1987, he bought Renaissance Homes, which has become a nationally know, award-winning builder of high quality custom homes. Mr. Nicholson's success in business was matched by his contributions to his community. He served three years as Chairman of the Volunteers of America in Colorado, which is the largest faith-based social service agency in the Rocky Mountain States. He chaired the Community Concerns Committee of the Denver Bar Association; he provided leadership to the Listen Foundation; and his service to the Colorado Air Quality Control Commission and many other non-profit endeavors have earned him the stature of one of Colorado's outstanding leaders.

In January 1986, Mr. Nicholson was elected Committeeman from Colorado for the Republican National Committee (RNC). In 1993 he was elected Vice-Chairman of the RNC, and in January 1997, he was elected Chairman of the RNC. His tenure as Chairman included the 1997 elections and culminated in the 2000 elections.

Following the 1997 elections, Mr. Nicholson convened a summit of the nation's Republican governors and Congressional leadership on the topic of improving America's schools. He emerged with a mandate to chair an unprecedented, party-wide task force on improving basic education in America. The resulting plan, launched in September 1998, was called "Children First: The Republican Agenda for America's Students."

In 1999, Nicholson was honored by induction as a Knight in the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, one of the highest honors awarded to a Roman Catholic. In 2000, Nicholson was given the prestigious Horatio Alger Award, recognizing his climb from humble beginnings to a position of success, which has enabled him to serve others in America now less fortunate. Nicholson was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Public Service, Honoris Causa, by Regis University in Denver in May of 2001.


[End]


Released on November 9, 2001

HERE IS WHAT ONE VETERAN'S BENEFITS ACTIVISTS WROTE ABOUT THE CHANGING OF THE GUARD AT THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS, AND HIS ASSESSMENT OF BUSH'S FOUR PLUS YEARS "SUPPORTING THE VET."

HIS COLUMN APPEARED IN MILITARY.COM, AND IT IS NOT TOO KIND TO THE SHRUB, SO WE KNOW THAT THE RIGHT-WING NUT GOP VETERANS WILL BE HAVING HIS PURPLE HEART OR SILVER STAR OR WHATEVER MILITARY AWARD AND DECORATION HE HAS FOR LUNCH = IF HE HAS ANY.

New VA chief must address issues

December 9, 2004

Opinion By Larry Scott

VA Secretary Anthony J. Principi has resigned. The resignation was made public on Wednesday, December 08, 2004. The letter of resignation was dated November 16, 2004, but withheld by the Bush administration to avoid the appearance of a Cabinet-level "house cleaning" immediately after the election.

Principi is the ninth Cabinet Secretary to leave -- setting a modern-day record for personnel changes at this level. As with most of the other Cabinet resignations, insiders say it was not a true resignation. It appears Principi was forced out to make way for a VA Secretary who would more closely mirror Bush Administration policy. Principi's generic parting statement, being short on specifics for the future, would seem to confirm this. Principi said, "It is now time for me to move on to fresh opportunities and different challenges."

Principi's resignation is being handled in a very low-key manner. A Google search returned just a handful of hits. But, this is very big news to America's 27 million Veterans. The new VA Secretary will be making life-and-death decisions for those Veterans seeking healthcare at the VA.

The question is: What's in store for VA healthcare?

Principi's four-year reign at the VA controls brought massive changes that can only be described as DRACONIAN. Priority Group 8 Veterans were denied enrollment. Co-pays were increased. Means tests eliminated many Veterans from the system or forced them into a "pay for care" status. The now infamous CARES Report closed hospitals and clinics while laying out a 20-year plan to construct more buildings without providing the funding to staff those facilities. And gross under-funding at the healthcare level has forced cancellations of surgeries and critical diagnostic procedures putting the lives of thousands of Veterans at risk.

For the last four years the thrust of VA policy has NOT been proper funding. Instead, incredible amounts of time, energy and money have been spent to find ways to eliminate Veterans from the benefits and healthcare rolls. Will the next four years be any better? That is up to President Bush. He alone holds the power to appoint a VA Secretary who will see to it that ALL veterans receive proper benefits and healthcare.

Will that happen? The White House and Secretary Principi have not supported legislative efforts to provide Full and Mandatory VA Funding, thus taking VA funding out of the discretionary budget and making it part of the mandatory budget process. This would seem at odds with President Bush's promise to "provide more care to more Veterans where they need it the most."

Here is where the Bush Administration goal of smaller government will backfire. Smaller government equals less spending, which equals fewer employees, which equals inadequate healthcare for Veterans. It's time to rethink the concept of smaller government in the context of a VA that provides necessary services for Veterans.

If the new VA Secretary is just another "Yes-Man," then Veterans would do well to remember the old acronym that artillerymen love to paint on their shells. BOHICA: Bend Over, Here It Comes Again!

But, being an optimist, I wish the new VA Secretary all the best and provide the following task list.

Obtain Proper Funding. Forget the smaller government, lower spending philosophy and stand up and be heard. We can't care for our Veterans without spending the money to do it.

Prioritize Spending. Throw out the CARES Report. Forget new facilities. Staff the buildings now in use by the VA with doctors, nurses, technicians and medical support staff so Veterans do not have to wait months for necessary surgeries and critical diagnostic procedures.

NOW THAT IS THE BRIGHTEST IDEA I'VE HEARD IN OVER FIVE YEARS. IN FACT, RUMMY SAID IT WELL, "WORK WITH THE VA SYSTEM YOU'VE GOT." IMPROVE UPON WHAT YOU HAVE. DON'T BUILD NEW VA FACILITIES. THE VA HAS A NOTORIOUS HISTORIC RECORD OF EVERY TIME IT GETS INVOLVED IN CONSTRUCTON PROJECTS THERE IS CORRUPTION AND KICKBACKS TO UPPER MANAGEMENT THAT GET UNCOVERED THAT BECOMES A SCANDAL, AND THIS TIME WILL BE NO DIFFERENT.

Re-evaluate Need for the VISN System. The VISN system has just created another layer of bureaucratic nonsense that isolates the VA hierarchy from the local hospitals and clinics. Is it needed? No!

Listen to Your Employees. Give them a venue to speak openly without fear of retribution. Let them talk about staff shortages. Let them tell you about Veterans who wait for months and months to get care. Let them tell you about those who die while waiting. It's imperative that you know what they know.

THIS IS THE OTHER BRIGHTEST IDEA I'VE HEARD IN OVER FIVE YEARS IN HOW TO REVAMP THE VA SYSTEM WITHOUT REBUILDING IT.

Listen to the Veterans. Take off your suit and tie. Put on a pair of jeans and a comfortable shirt and fly to Portland. Don't tell the local VA people, just wander in. I'll meet you in the VA hospital canteen and we'll have a coffee or two and chat with the Veterans we meet. You'll learn enough about Veteran's needs in a couple of hours to keep you busy for the next four years. By the way, I'll buy the coffee.

DAMN SHRUB SHOULD HAVE MADE LARRY SCOTT THE SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS, BUT SCOTT'S HEAD PROBABLY DOESN'T BOBBLE.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Since this article was submitted, President Bush has nominated Jim Nicholson to the position of VA Secretary. Mr. Nicholson was the Ambassador to the Vatican and a Veteran. He is the former chairman of the Republican National Committee.

FORMER CHAIRMAN OF THE RNC = NOW THAT'S A RELIEF HE'S A GOP VET.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Larry Scott (former E-5) served four-plus years in the U.S. Army with overseas tours as a Broadcast Journalist at AFKN HQ, Seoul, Korea and AFN Lajes Field, The Azores, Portugal and a stateside tour as a Broadcast Journalism Instructor at the Defense Information School (DINFOS). Larry was decorated four times including the Joint Service Commendation Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster. He was awarded DOD's First Place Thomas Jefferson Award for Excellence in Journalism. After the Army, Larry went back to radio news, working in Indianapolis as a News Anchor on WIFE Radio and then in New York City as a News Anchor on WNBC Radio. He receives VA compensation for a service-connected disability and uses the Portland, Oregon/Vancouver, Washington VA facilities for healthcare. Today, Larry resides in Southwest Washington and operates the Veteran's help website Your VA Benefits .org. and blogs at vabenes.blogspot.com. To contact Larry Scott email larry@yourvabenefits.org.

http://www.military.com/Opinions/0,,Scott_120904,00.html