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UPDATE: FULL SENATE CONFIRMS PEAKE -- Dr. James Peake
confirmed as new VA Secretary by unanimous
consent.
Dr. James Peake
For more about Peake's nomination, with
backlinks, click here...
http://www.vawatchdog.org/07/nf07/nfDEC07/nf121407-1.htm
Latest story here...
http://ap.google.com/article/
ALeqM5jZK8k3q8sJQU5faNSTJAPOADwsQgD8THGO100
Story below:
-------------------------
Peake Confirmed As VA Secretary
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate confirmed James Peake, a former Army Surgeon
General, as Veterans Affairs secretary Friday.
Retired Lt. Gen. Peake, 63, the son of a medical services officer and Army
nurse, has spent 40 years in military medicine. He retired from the Army
in 2004 after being lead commander in several medical posts, including
four years as Army Surgeon General.
President Bush said one of Peake's first tasks would be to continue to
implement recommendations of the presidential commission on veterans care
chaired by former Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan., and former Health and Human
Services Secretary Donna Shalala. The recommendations include aggressively
treating post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury,
streamlining VA processes and strengthening support for families.
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Peake's "decades of expertise in combat medicine
and health care management have provided him with a thorough understanding
of the department's responsibility to care for America's veterans," Bush
said in a statement.
Widely supported by both Democrats and Republicans, Peake has promised
lawmakers that he would be an independent advocate for veterans and get
needed funding for their care.
The Senate Veterans Affairs Committee endorsed his nomination unanimously
this week. The Senate confirmed Peake by unanimous consent.
Former Veterans Affairs Secretary James Nicholson stepped down Oct. 1.
Gordon Mansfield, the VA's deputy secretary has been serving as acting
secretary.
The favorable vote came after Peake assured lawmakers that he would learn
from past VA mistakes by placing more medical staff at VA clinics and
budgeting better to meet the agency's needs. He also promised to find
other ways to retain senior VA officials than awarding lucrative
performance bonuses each year regardless of merit.
"I believe General Peake's heart is in the right place, but this job will
take more than just promises," said Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., a member
of the Senate panel. "He needs to work everyday to overcome the
bureaucratic ineptitude, backlog of claims, wait times, and other
challenges that our veterans face every day."
-------------------------
Larry Scott --
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