Some Washington insiders expected President Obama to announce the resignation of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki after the two men met in the Oval Office this morning. Yet even with the VA hospitals scandal gathering momentum each day, Obama chose to keep Shinseki in place. Why?

There are several reasons. First, Shinseki is a decorated veteran himself, a retired four-star general and former Army Chief of Staff who was seriously wounded in Vietnam. Members of Congress, and all Americans for that matter, view that record with respect. Second, heading the VA is a tough and unglamorous job, and finding a good candidate to replace Shinseki will not be easy; it’s not something Obama wants to do if he doesn’t have to. And third, even if a top-tier candidate agreed to take the job, cleaning up the VA mess will be a difficult task given federal government personnel rules that make it virtually impossible for the secretary to fire workers involved in the scandal.