Today in the Morning Line:

IG report opens floodgates with calls for Shinseki to resign

Push from Democrats, Republicans, ups pressure on Obama

The choice facing Mississippi Republicans

2014 watch: Health care fight in Kentucky, Kingston picks up Herschel Walker’s endorsement & the Chamber backs Ernst in Iowa

Demands for Shinseki to resign reach fever pitch: Calls for Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki to step down grew louder on Capitol Hill Wednesday following the release of an inspector general report that determined agency officials at a facility in Phoenix had manipulated scheduling records to hide long wait times for former service members. The investigation found that the average wait time for a veteran seeking an initial appointment at the Phoenix VA hospital was 115 days, while the average wait time reported to the department was 24 days. The interim report also determined that the scheduling practices at the Phoenix facility “are a systemic problem nationwide.” The findings opened the floodgates on Capitol Hill, where lawmakers in both parties issued statements calling for Shinseki’s ouster. The Democrats pushing for Shinseki’s dismissal included Sens. Mark Udall of Colorado, Kay Hagan of North Carolina, John Walsh of Montana, Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and Al Franken of Minnesota. All five are running for re-election this fall, with Udall, Hagan and Walsh facing tough contests. Democratic Reps. Bruce Braley of Iowa, Scott Peters of California and Ron Barber of Arizona also called on Shinseki to resign. Braley is running for the Senate, while Peters and Barber have difficult re-election races on their hands.

Republicans pile on: Leading Republicans, including Sen. John McCain, Rep. Jeff Miller, the chair of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, and Rep. Buck McKeon, the head of the House Armed Services Committee, also called for Shinseki’s resignation. McCain praised Shinseki’s career of service as a combat veteran, but said, “It is clear to me that new leadership is needed at the VA” to implement reforms and restore the trust of veterans. For his part, Shinseki gave no indication he planned to step down, releasing a statement that said, “I have reviewed the interim report, and the findings are reprehensible to me, to this Department, and to Veterans.” President Obama stood by Shinseki during his press conference last week, saying he would work with the secretary to fix the problems, but also left the door open for a possible change once he got all the facts. On Wednesday, however, the White House stopped short of giving Shinseki its full support. Press secretary Jay Carney said the president “found the findings extremely troubling” and agrees with Shinseki’s decision to implement the recommendations made by the inspector general. The president is still waiting for deputy chief of staff Rob Nabors to conclude his investigation of the scheduling practices at the VA, which is due next month. But given the rapid erosion of support for Shinseki among Democrats on the Hill, the question is whether the president will see enough to make a move sooner.

The Mississippi Poison Pill – Do Republicans avoid another Akin? Mississippi political columnist Charlie Mitchell summed up his state’s Republican Senate primary this way: “Not to be melodramatic, but Mississippi voters — bizarre campaign antics of the past few weeks notwithstanding — face a soul-trying choice Tuesday.” The antics he writes of are the revelations that four supporters of tea party challenger Chris McDaniel were arrested for taking photos of incumbent Sen. Thad Cochran’s bed-ridden wife in her nursing home. McDaniel denies any connection, but it has shaken up a race in which McDaniel was gaining steam and looked poised to possibly pull off an upset. It’s also possible that, like in the past two election cycles, Democrats would have a chance to win the state if McDaniel was nominated. But this election is far more important to this cycle than just whether Democrats put another seat in play. Establishment Republicans view McDaniel as poisonous — someone who could stand between them and the Senate majority. They see him as another Todd Akin, the 2012 Missouri Republican Senate nominee who cost Republicans that seat because of his “legitimate rape” comments. If McDaniel wins, they argue, like Akin, every other Republican Senate candidate would have to answer for his past controversial comments from his days as a radio host. That’s why the establishment has taken nothing for granted, dumping opposition research on McDaniel. Cochran even capitalized on the arrests by cutting an ad highlighting them, showing mugshots of the arrested. “Rise up and say no to dirty politics,” an announcer says, “and yes to our strong conservative leader.” And a closing ad for a pro-Cochran Super PAC accuses McDaniel of being a liar.

Obama West Point reaction: The New York Times’ Peter Baker sums up the rationale for President Obama’s West Point speech, noting that the president is “deeply frustrated” by assessments of his foreign policy. The president “has become increasingly convinced that while the United States must play a vital role beyond its borders, it should avoid getting dragged into the quicksand of international crises that have trapped some of his predecessors. … To his critics, mainly on the right but also some on the left, this is a prescription for passivity, an abrogation of decades of bipartisan leadership on the world stage. Stung and irritated, Mr. Obama used his commencement address to West Point cadets on Wednesday to mount a sustained rebuttal and to define an approach to foreign policy that he believes is suited to a new era and that he hopes will outlast his presidency.”

2014 wrap – Grimes hits McConnell on health care, Kingston with some momentum in Ga., the Chamber takes sides in Iowa: In Kentucky, Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes hits Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell on for his stance on health care, trying to draw a distinction between Kentucky’s popular exchange and the federal law, which Grimes says needs fixing. The Lexington Herald-Leader also goes after McConnell for his claims that his support for getting rid of the health care law is “‘unconnected’ to the future of Kynect, Kentucky’s health insurance exchange?” Asks the paper, “Huh? Nothing could be more connected.” … In Georgia, Jack Kingston may be picking up some momentum. He got former rival Karen Handel’s endorsement, the Chamber of Commerce is already on board and now former NFL running back Herschel Walker, a star at the University of Georgia, has endorsed him. … Speaking of the Chamber of Commerce, it signaled who it thinks will win the Iowa Republican Senate primary Tuesday. It’s now backing state Sen. Joni Ernst, whom Democrats deride as “The Sarah Palin of Iowa.”

Begich keeps on swinging: We’ve noted that even Republicans see Alaska Democratic Sen. Mark Begich as running a strong campaign. In part, that’s because of ads like this one that went up Wednesday that highlight what he’s done for the state while hitting Republican challenger Dan Sullivan. “Dan Sullivan shot this TV ad here at the Dena’ina Center, saying I don’t get results. Well,” Begich says with a laugh, “I got the Dena’ina Center built that Dan was standing on.” He adds, “I approve this message because here are some more nice places Dan could use in his next ad.” He goes on to rattle off other places for which he’s gotten funding or loosened regulations. Ouch. It’s a strong response ad, and it’s the work of Democratic ad-maker Mark Putnam, who the New York Times profiled earlier this week. If Republicans can’t pick off Begich, running in a state Mitt Romney won by double-digits in 2012, their path to a majority becomes much more difficult.

Daily Presidential Trivia: On this day in 1917, future American president John Fitzgerald Kennedy was born. Where was Kennedy born? Be the first to Tweet us the correct answer using #PoliticsTrivia, and you’ll get a Morning Line shout-out. Congratulations to Jennifer (@Jennesber) for guessing Wednesday’s trivia: FDR pushed a button in Washington, DC, signaling that vehicular traffic could cross the Golden Gate Bridge in California. How many vehicles crossed the bridge the first day? The answer was: 32,300.

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TOP TWEETS

Imagine if members of Congress all had to use the same printer to issue their statements about Shinseki. — daveweigel (@daveweigel) May 28, 2014

Tuned in to POTUS at @WestPoint_USMA. Important speech on US leadership. Diplomacy, defense, development all key. pic.twitter.com/GySbo2hdMG — John Kerry (@JohnKerry) May 28, 2014

Some guys just can't take a hint pic.twitter.com/41tQWz6vy3 — Rebecca Berg (@rebeccagberg) May 28, 2014

We're saddened by the passing of our friend Maya Angelou. Thank you for all you've done, and for all the hugs. pic.twitter.com/kmLCN59Uef — Sesame Street (@sesamestreet) May 28, 2014

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