Veterans Affairs privacy scandal grows - it's bad

1. Private records on 26 million Americans are stolen on May 3 - the employee who brought the data home, where it was stolen, tells his supervisors, but they don't pass this info up the chain at the agency.

2. The Deputy Secretary of the entire agency, and the chief of staff to the secretary, find out about the massive privacy violation - remember, 26 million people's privacy was violated - on May 10. Neither of them told the Inspector General of the agency, or the Secretary of Veterans Affairs himself.

3. The Secretary, supposedly, finds out about the theft on May 16. He waits a full day before informing the FBI on May 17.

4. The agency had been warned for years about their dismal approach to information privacy, yet the Secretary did nothing about it.

5. The only employee disciplined so far is, reportedly, the person who took the data home where it was stolen.

6. George Bush yesterday tells the country that he stands 100% behind his secretary of Veterans Affairs (I'm not making this up).

The privacy of nearly 10% of the country was violated, and George Bush thinks the folks involved are doing a heck of a job.