It's less egregious than Williams in that - as far as we know - he only told the lie one time rather than repeating it many times over the course of a decade and building a large part of his public persona around it.
But one thing that's clear is that McDonald isn't going to pay anywhere near the price Williams is now paying - if, that is, he pays any price at all. Which looks exceedingly unlikely:
McDonald made the claim in January while he was in Los Angeles as part of the VA's effort to locate and house homeless veterans. During the tour, a homeless man told McDonald that he had served in the special operations forces.
"Special forces? What years?" McDonald responded. "I was in special forces." The exchange was broadcast on "The CBS Evening News" Jan. 30. McDonald's misstatement was first reported by The Huffington Post.
McDonald graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1975 and completed Army Ranger training before being assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division until his retirement in 1980. According to the Huffington Post, while McDonald was formally recognized as a graduate of Ranger School, he never actually served in a Ranger battalion or other special operations unit.
"I have no excuse," the website quoted McDonald as saying in its report. "I was not in special forces."
In a statement released Monday by the VA, McDonald said: "While I was in Los Angeles, engaging a homeless individual to determine his veteran status, I asked the man where he had served in the military. He responded that he had served in special forces. I incorrectly stated that I had been in special forces. That was inaccurate and I apologize to anyone that was offended by my misstatement."
Now assuming this is a one-time offense, I'd say it doesn't rise to the level where he absolutely, positively must be fired for it. If this is a pattern, that's another story, but as I write this there's no evidence he's been going around telling this for years.
It's bizarre, though. Why does a guy whose real-life credentials are quite impressive feel the need to tack on the lie at the end? Dude, you served in the 82nd Airborne. That's not small potatoes. Has it gnawed at him all these years that he got that close to special ops but never got in it? You might reason that he was just trying to relate to the homeless guy, but can't you do that by saying you graduated from Ranger School? By taking that approach, you could even boost the guy's self-esteem a little. Hey, I graduated but I never actually got in the Rangers. You went farther than I did. Nice job.
I suppose it's not the most unusual thing for a person to build up a personal achievement from the past and make it more than it actually was, maybe to simplify telling stories about it, or maybe because they convince themselves they should have been allowed to advance to the level they now claim they did.
You know, you were the cleanup hitter on the Little League team! (You actually don't remember where you hit in the order but it's possible, and you're pretty sure you should have been.) Or, that cute girl everyone remembers was your girlfriend junior year. (She actually sat and had one conversation with you in the library, mostly because she needed your help with algebra, but she sure seemed to like you!)
I suspect people do this more than you realize, but claiming you served in special forces when you really didn't is a pretty tall tale. I'm not sure what the right level of discipline should be below firing, but I'm pretty sure it shouldn't be nothing, and nothing is apparently
what it's going to be:
The White House released a statement Monday evening saying that it had accepted McDonald's explanation.
"Secretary McDonald has apologized for the misstatement and noted that he never intended to misrepresent his military service," the statement said. "We take him at his word and expect that this will not impact the important work he’s doing to promote the health and well-being of our nation’s veterans."
The Washington culture is obsessed with branding and personal narratives
Now here's where I think this does matter in a policy sense. The Washington culture is obsessed with branding and personal narratives. That's why politicians weave these heart-rendering tales of their lives and their heroic experiences. A culture that values such nonsense is probably not a culture that puts an emphasis on cold, hard problem-solving and the fact-based pursuit of results. You may achieve nothing good whatsoever, but darn it, look good doing it.
When you recognize that this is the Washington culture, you understand why they can never balance a budget and can never set reasonable spending priorities. Being admired and avoiding criticism are always more important than getting the job done. McDonald was supposedly hired because his corporate track record suggested he could turn the troubled Department of Veterans' Affairs around - a true rarity for the Obama Administration.
Yet once he got into the Washington culture, he could no longer see his track record as good enough. He had to start telling lies about his life from nearly 40 years ago. That's to his discredit, but I don't think it really makes him all that unusual in a city where image is everything and hardly anyone can even speak the language of substance and results. Whether you're an anchorman or a cabinet secretary, your real achievements are apparently never enough.
And when our entire government operates under such a culture, that's how we end up in perpetuity with the problems we have.
