Editorial: Resignation long overdue

Thursday, July 19, 2007 | 7:25 a.m.

James Nicholson resigned as Veterans Affairs secretary Tuesday, ending 2 1/2 years at the helm of an department that, rightly, has been sharply criticized for its treatment of wounded veterans and a computer theft that compromised the personal information of millions of people.

Nicholson, 69, is a former chairman of the Republican National Committee who was appointed in 2005 to head the VA - a department with 235,000 employees, making it the government's second-largest after the Defense Department.

White House spokesman Tony Snow told The New York Times that President Bush "was grateful for Mr. Nicholson's service" and that "he certainly could have served longer if he so desired."

But Bush wasn't exactly begging Nicholson to stay. In fact, the president likely wanted Nicholson to step down, as his tenure has been marred by two major failings:

In 2006 a laptop computer was stolen from the home of a VA employee, potentially compromising the Social Security numbers and other personal information of millions of active-duty and retired military personnel and their families. Although there have been no reports of the information being abused, the department spent millions trying to head off potential damage, which included warning those who might have been affected.

In addition to a huge case backlog, lost files and too few caseworkers systemwide, the agency has mishandled the treatment of wounded treatment of wounded veterans returning from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Nicholson is a Army veteran who served in Vietnam and was awarded a Bronze Star. But it is clear that he was not equipped to oversee a department that has a $70 billion budget and treats 5.5 million patients annually at 154 medical centers and 1,300 clinics nationwide.

The VA needs a secretary who can independently advocate for veterans' needs while effectively dealing with the case backlogs and paperwork entanglements that remain unsolved. Our veterans deserve nothing less.