FedTracker: Obama picks Shinseki for VA

Retired Army Gen. Eric Shinseki will head the Veterans Affairs department in the Obama administration. Shinseki served 38 years in the Army, and was chief of staff from 1999 until his retirement in 2003.

“Throughout his nearly four decades in the U.S. Army, he won the respect and admiration of our men and women in uniform because they have always been his highest priority,” President-elect Obama said. “He has always stood on principle – because he has always stood with our troops. And he will bring that same sense of duty and commitment to ensuring that we treat our veterans with the care and dignity they deserve.”