Johnny Isakson: “It is the most intelligent question anybody can ask. The press questioned me in Denver, when I went there, along with…”

“It is the most intelligent question anybody can ask. The press questioned me in Denver, when I went there, along with Ranking Member Blumenthal, and we looked at the situation firsthand. After looking at it and interviewing the VA people, we were asked by the Denver Post how we could explain this mess, and I asked them very simply if they knew what a camel was. They said no. I said that is a horse built by a committee. Well, the Denver hospital is a camel--a horse being built by a committee, most of whom have left and are not there to be held accountable anymore. It is unconscionable and irresponsible for that hospital to be costing what it has cost. We have finally put our arms around it. We have finally put people in place with accountability, and the Corps of Engineers is now overseeing the completion of that hospital so we don't have more overruns like we had. It was a matter of nobody being in charge and everybody being in charge--too many chiefs and not enough Indians. We had people in charge of health care building buildings, and that wasn't what we needed. Mr. McCAIN. I think they must have gotten some of those bureaucrats from the Pentagon. I want to thank both Senator Blumenthal and you, Mr. Chairman, for the great work you are doing. As you know, this whole scandal began in Arizona at the Phoenix VA, where allegations remain that over 50 veterans died while awaiting care.…”