Then-Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki with President Obama.
President Obama has reportedly made his pick to replace Eric Shinseki at the
head of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and it's an unorthodox one. Bob McDonald is a former CEO of Procter & Gamble, having graduated from West Point but spent only five years in the Army.
McDonald is an unusual choice for an agency that has typically been led by former military leaders, but given the agency’s bureaucratic and managerial challenges, he is seen by the White House as the kind of corporate leader the agency needs. His experience makes him “prepare[d] … well for a huge agency with management challenges,” the official said, adding that he is “the perfect person to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs during this important time.”
Ah, the old "run it like a business" idea. As if excellent service, and not profits, are what businesses seek. In addition to playing to Republican reverence for corporations, the McDonald nomination has another advantage when it comes to getting Republican support:
During the 2012 presidential race, he gave $2,500 to Mitt Romney and, less than a year ago, he made a contribution of $1,000 to House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio).
McDonald stepped down as CEO of Procter & Gamble in May 2013.