Tammy Duckworth to be Obama Veterans Affairs assistant secretary

[Pirate Smile]

Tammy Duckworth to be Obama Veterans Affairs assistant secretary
By Lynn Sweeton February 2, 2009 10:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
By Chris Fusco and Lynn Sweet
Chicago Sun-Times


Iraq war veteran Tammy Duckworth, chief of the Illinois Veterans Affairs Department, appears will be tapped Tuesday to be an assistant secretary in President Obama's Department of Veterans Affairs, a White House source told the Chicago Sun-Times Monday night.


Duckworth comes to the White House with backing from powerful political patrons: Obama, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and senior White House adviser David Axelrod, who fostered her failed 2006 House bid.

Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich appointed Duckworth state veterans affairs chief in December 2006 after her high-profile congressional campaign. While serving in Iraq, Duckworth lost her legs and mangled her arm when a helicopter she was in was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade.

Duckworth has not been affected by Blagojevich's political problems and has emerged as one of his most widely praised cabinet members.

http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2009/02/tammy_duckworth_to_be_obama_ve.html

[Clio the Leo]

1. And to me that answers the question of......

.... who he wanted to replace him in the Senate. ;)

[Thrill]

2. W. Scott Gould also named deputy secretary of Veterans Affairs.

W. Scott Gould, a former naval reservist who served in the Iraq war as an intelligence officer, is President Obama's nominee to become deputy secretary at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Gould, who most recently has been a vice president at IBM Global Business Services, will work under Secretary Eric K. Shinseki, a retired four-star general, to revamp the sprawling Veterans Affairs bureaucracy. In a statement released this afternoon, Shinseki said he and Gould are committed to "transforming the Department of Veterans Affairs into a 21st century organization."

Shinseki said Gould brings expertise in information technology and managing large organizations. "Scott's experience in these areas, as well as his broad experience in the public sector, the private sector and the military, will prove invaluable for better serving our veterans," Shinseki said.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2009/01/30/veterans_affairs_deputy_secret.html?wprss=44

[firedupdem]

3. Good for Tammy! n/t

[lunatica]

4. This is great news for our military, finally!

No sector of our society has given more in the last administration and gotten less in return.