Keywords: Barack Obama, military, CabinetRetired Army Gen. Eric K. Shinseki, best known for his criticism of the Bush administration's Iraq strategy, is the first Asian-American to be nominated to President-elect Barack Obama's Cabinet, according to The Washington Post. Obama has nominated the Japanese American career military officer to head the troubled Department of Veterans Affairs.Shinseki, who is the first Japanese American to become a four-star general and the first Asian American to lead a branch of the armed forces, served as Army chief of staff under President George W. Bush prior to the start of the war in Iraq. He disagreed with former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's plan to invade Iraq with a small force. His public criticism of the policy later led to his dismissal.
Shinseki, twice awarded the Purple Heart for wounds sustained in Vietnam, will, if confirmed, be in charge of fixing the Department of Veterans Affairs, which has been criticized for underestimating the resources needed to help thousands of veterans returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan."When I reflect on the sacrifices that have been made by our veterans and I think about how so many veterans around the country are struggling even more than those who have not served," Obama told NBC News, "it breaks my heart. I think that Gen. Shinseki is exactly the right person who is going to be able to make sure that we honor our troops when they come home."Click here to read the full story in The Washington Post.
