Editorial: All eyes on VA leadership

Friday, May 26, 2006 | 7:17 a.m.

The theft of personal information affecting 26.5 million veterans has motivated both the House and Senate to hold hearings and begin investigations. Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson is in the hot seat over this massive personal security breach, as well he should be.

When the story first broke, the focus was on an unnamed VA employee who broke departmental rules by taking work home with him. The VA announced that someone broke into the employee's home and stole a laptop computer and disks containing the veterans' names, birth dates and Social Security numbers.

Serious administrative problems have since been revealed. The theft occurred May 3, and Nicholson says he didn't hear about it until May 16. In testimony before Congress, Nicholson said, "I can't explain the lapses of judgment on the behalf of my people."

But Congress must not let Nicholson escape personal responsibility by blaming underlings. The Washington Post reported Thursday that annual congressional surveys of computer security among federal departments has ranked the VA among the bottom. The paper reported that the VA inspector general, for the past five years, has faulted department officials for not properly addressing the problem.

Nicholson, appointed by President Bush in December 2004, began his job in February 2005. He has had plenty of time to establish policies and procedures that could have prevented the May 3 theft.

Even after Nicholson heard about it, there was no public disclosure until Monday, meaning 19 days elapsed before the veterans even knew they could be easy prey for identity thieves.

Perhaps the root of the problem is that Nicholson, while a distinguished veteran, had no experience in running a large department. The VA, with 230,000 employees, is the second-largest Cabinet department.

Before his appointment, Nicholson was the U.S. ambassador to the Vatican. Previous jobs included practicing as a real estate lawyer in Denver, owning home-development companies and serving in various positions with the Republican National Committee, including from 1993 through 2000, first as vice chairman and then chairman.

Ultimately, the responsibility for any mismanagement at the VA lies with Bush. Like he did with former Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Michael Brown, who botched the response to Hurricane Katrina, Bush appointed a political ally rather than an experienced administrator.