U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman

U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman

Robert McDonald, Captain Obvious of the Veterans Affairs Department, said a mouthful this week during a Denver speech when he proclaimed “You can’t fire your way to excellence.”

He would know, since he refused to fire anyone for numerous debacles across the agency, which ranks slightly below “the doctor will see you next year” scale of excellence.

“Since we discovered errors in construction, we’ve made major reforms,” McDonald said. “We changed how we design, bid and construct facilities. And we’re shoulder-to-shoulder with the Army Corps of Engineers.”

Coffman said McDonald has it wrong.

“The reality is that the VA has been kicked off the project and permanently stripped of their ability to manage any construction projects in excess of $100 million which puts them out of the hospital building business altogether,” Coffman said.

U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman is asking the inspector general for a criminal investigation of the VA hospital construction debacle in Aurora.

U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, who can’t be bothered to support the VA Accountability Act, copied from Coffman’s notes and said, “We striped the VA of construction authority … blah, blah, blah.

McDonald did allow that a criminal investigation is underway, then essentially called us all a bunch of cry babies because we don’t like how the VA wastes taxpayer dollars.

“We don’t administer punishment based on opinions, recycled and embellished media accounts, or external pressure.”

If ever there was a poster child of why this country so desperately needs to kick the Democrats out of office, McDonald would be that child.