Posted on 05/25/2014 11:49:21 AM PDT by kristinn
Updated 2:41 p.m. May 25 | The Veterans of Foreign Wars leadership blistered Sen. Richard Burr after the North Carolina Republican penned an open letter late Friday impugning the staff of veterans groups for not calling for new leadership at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
In his letter, Burr, the ranking Republican on the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee praised the American Legion, which has called for Secretary Eric Shinseki to resign, and suggested that the leadership staff of other veterans’ groups — without naming them — care more about access to Shinseki than they do about veterans.
“Last week’s hearing made it clear to me that the staff has ignored the constant VA problems expressed by their members and is more interested in their own livelihoods and Washington connections than they are to the needs of their own members,” Burr charged. “I fear that change within the VA will not be possible unless and until these organizations also reconsider their role as well as the nature of their relationship with VA.”
The VFW responded late Saturday with a lengthy missive of its own.
“I will afford you the same amount of respect you demonstrated for the Veterans of Foreign Wars by the monumental cheap-shot and posturing you’ve engaged in by enlisting in an absolutely disgusting ambush style of politics,” the three-page letter began.
“Without the courtesy or benefit of conversation or dialogue with me or the VFW Adjutant General regarding your disagreement with VFW’s recent testimony to your committee, you chose instead to take the low road and question VFW’s motives and levy a pejorative personal attack on VFW staff.
SNIP
Burr dismissed the criticism Sunday, suggesting his letter outraged groups more than the VA scandal.
(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.rollcall.com ...
If I was a liberal Democrat in 2014, I’d be laughing and crapping on everybody too.
Reminds me of a certain guns rights group that cares more about access to Senator Harry Reid than actually defending the 2nd Amendment and the rest of the Bill of Rights.
The American Legion was originally a conservative organization. This so annoyed FDR, that his supporters designed the VFW as an alternative more politically palatable to the New Deal. In time, the flavors rather blended — but it is interesting to see that there seem still to be political differences.
In my area, the Tea Party meets often in the local VFW hall, which I also have thought is somewhat anomalous.
Not sure I understand about FDR’s supporters designing VFW? VFW officially started in 1914. First Post in 1899.
You're a worthless piece of RINO Sh!T.
No less than a dozen time VFW reps have been in your office over the last 4 years lobbying for, nay demanding, Congressional action to fix the VA.
But we should have known better than to trust a lawnmower salesman to represent the interests of Veterans.
Hell, you're never even worn a uniform much less been anywhere or done anything to qualify you for VFW membership.
Your SOLE interest in this matter is to score political points against the Obama administration and has nothing to do with fixing the very real and serious problems within the VA. We know this because you, as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee have known about these problems for years and have not so much as raised a little hell, much less taken concrete action to fix it!
Member VFW Post #67. Past member of Post #1509. Member since 1979.
That's because it's BS.
The poster is under the erroneous assumption that the VFW is a liberal organization...or is deliberately casting aspersions.
VFW reveals the and CNN made the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Richard Burr, aware of the problems in Phoenix in 2010.
And the good Senator did NOTHING.
Richard Burr and John Boehner are close personal friends. That should tell you all you need to know about the Republican senator from NC.
Thanks, amazing how people pull crap out of the air and let it fly.
My 30+ year association with VFW is coming to an abrupt end. I am starting to see that they are more concerned about their associations with Washington than they are with Veterans issues.
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