I think he didn't realize, after a lifetime of serving in the Army and being a flag officer, that: a civilian agency (especially with entrenched lifers) won't simply salute and make his decrees happen the way it works in the military, because they are not subjected to any real form of punishment for disobeying and playing games, and: civilian agencies don't have honor encoded in them. The people in the VA don't "serve", they're there for a paycheck and bennies. That's not wrong, that's how the rest of the not-military world works.

The problem is that many military officers have been relieved for incompetence, sexual harassment, improper sexual relations with subordinates, etc. Granted, we expect our military people to tell the truth. The problem is that history clearly shows that not everyone, in or out of uniform does. So you weigh the words your subordinates use. Is it probable that they are telling the truth?

There is no way that anyone could achieve the rank of General without running across someone who was less than completely honest. It is impossible.

But they DO have more discipline, more respect for rank, and at least the ASPIRATION of honor, compared to the civilian world. I wasn't in the military, but my husband made a career out of it, and he remembers when his commander suddenly made them all wear their dress blues everyday (not even just a weekly Blues Day that other squadrons had), because a General passing through casually commented that he doesn't see young officers wearing their blues much anymore. Overreaction, based on nothing but an offhand comment by a General. I think that's the culture that Shinseki was used to--he didn't realize he'd now stumbled into an entire viper pit of liars and lazy-asses ready to game the system (not just one or two snakes here and there), and they didn't care about his rank at retirement.

Though I disagree that fixing problems that have plagued the VA for decades should have been able to be fixed in the past five years and that Shinseki resigning was the best/correct response to it

I agree that this should be a bipartisan issue. Our vets deserve the best and an end to this crisis.

Should have been fired. Not given the opportunity to resign.

I've unfortunately lived in DC long enough to know that bureaucracy means graft and inefficiencies, whether that bureau is mostly-public (as the VA is) or increasingly-privatized. (As the GOP is going to push for with the VA.)

I blame the House Veteran's Affairs committee. They control the budget. They're the oversight for the VA. Where were they for the past 5 years? Oh yeah, they were busy cutting the VA budget and legislating sweetheart deals for their contractor friends. They did nothing, fiddling as the VA metaphorically-burned and contractors poured lighter fluid. I know about these contractors...I interviewed for some of them.

There's an old expression in rural CT where a grew up: "You can polish a turd but it's never going to be a diamond."

Gen. Shinseki was handed a turd, Congress acted to insure it remained a turd before "investigating" and being shocked to discover a turd. He did what he could with what he was handed.

Our veterans deserve better. They deserve a functioning VA run by people that care about their interests and know what it means to serve. They deserve a VA leadership that can care for them. They deserve responsible oversight. They got few of those things and wolves in the henhouse working to deprive them of the rest.

Let's say I work for you. I am your regional director for all warehouses. I am instructed by you that all trucks will be unloaded in one hour. From the time they touch the dock, until they are unloaded, can be no longer than an hour. This is possible if the cargo is palatalized. It is nearly impossible if the cargo in the truck is floor loaded boxes. A crew has to go in, and build the pallets by hand that way. It takes much longer to load/unload a trailer by hand, obviously.

I report that this is being done. No trailer is at any warehouse for more than an hour. I then tell you I need half again as much money budgeted to hire more staff to continue meeting these goals. You would laugh at me. You would, because I'm reporting to you that I am meeting the goals, with existing funding, why should you give me more money so I can continue to meet the same goals?

Do you see the problem now? Blaming the Republicans is part of it. Certainly. But the biggest thing is the reports. If you report you are meeting or surpassing every goal, with existing funds, there is no reason why anyone would give you more money. To justify more money you have to show that what you are budgeted now is insufficient to meet the requirements. So as long as the VA was lying about meeting requirements, they would never get significantly more money.

and he would quickly have found out what was going on. Is that really too much to expect during a 5 year tenure? I am confused to see so many DUers defending him to the hilt.

If after 5 years in charge he didn't know what was going on, then he was too far removed from the front lines to be effective.
People DIED because of lack of care, that should never, ever be acceptable to anyone, regardless of political fault lines.
And as for $$$$, as the OP points out, why would they get more money if they claim everything was hunky dory with the funds they already had allocated.
There has been a 35% increase in funding, since President Obama has been in office. We can't praise him for that (which is deserved) while also criticizing the GOP since in the end they are the ones that control purse strings at this time.
Obama came in saying he was putting a priority on VA Healthcare, had Shinseki not resigned, it would have been a black mark on the President, like it or not.