Former VA chief says Bush did right by vets - Army News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Army Times

Former VA chief says Bush did right by vets

Jim Nicholson, the former secretary of veterans affairs who once headed the Republican National Committee, said Friday that he expects President-elect Obama will come to have deep respect for the U.S. military, just as President Bush’s respect for the military grew during his two terms in office.

Nicholson, a U.S. Military Academy graduate and Vietnam veteran who is a close friend and staunch supporter of the outgoing president, spoke in an interview about how he thinks history will judge Bush’s eight years as a time of building a stronger military and improving veterans programs.

“Bush learned a great deal while president, and his admiration and respect for the military grew immensely,” Nicholson said. “That happens to most presidents, and I think the same thing will happen with Obama.”

While Bush’s decision to send U.S. troops into Iraq remains controversial, Nicholson said he thinks history will judge the 43rd president in a less harsh light “as people reflect on the significance of keeping us safe for seven years after we were attacked.”

“You can debate the decision but you cannot debate the results,” he said.

Nicholson served Bush as U.S. ambassador to the Vatican, a job he started just days after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and went on to serve as the second of three VA secretaries under Bush.

Nicholson had a rough road in the job, as he headed the department when it faced a budget crisis, a growing backlog of disability claims, long waits for medical appointments and the threat of identity loss for hundreds of thousands of veterans because of lost, stolen and misplaced personnel files.

Nicholson said for all the problems, veterans — especially combat veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan — ended up seeing improved services during the Bush administration because VA budgets more than doubled and dramatic improvements were made in medical programs, such as the screening of every combat veteran who entered VA’s doors for post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries.