Krauthammer: Obama stumbling

By JONATHAN TOPAZ | 05/20/2014 06:12 AM EDT | Updated: 05/20/2014 05:41 PM EDT

Charles Krauthammer, jabbing the Obama administration on the VA scandal, says President Barack Obama has fallen short of his promises of "competence" and appears to have "stumbled upon the presidency."

"He acts as if -- it was the same with the IRS, eavesdropping on the AP, and all the other scandals, the Obamacare launch -- he stumbled upon the presidency and discovered all this horrible stuff is happening," he said on Fox News on Monday evening. "He's in charge of these departments."

"At some point, you've gotta ask, 'Where has he been, and where is the competence, the elementary competence, he promised when he ran in 2008?'" Krauthammer added.

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Republican lawmakers have long criticized the president's competence and skills as a manager. During the troubles with the Affordable Care Act rollout, Sen. John McCain saidof Obama: "I think it's not just competency, it's not more sufficient hands-on management, because the buck always stops at the president's desk."

Krauthammer also poked fun at recent comments from White House chief of staff Denis McDonough that the president is "madder than hell" over the VA scandal, in which at least 40 veterans have reportedly died while waiting for care in the Phoenix VA system.

Those comments came after VA Secretary Eric Shinseki told the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee that he was "mad as hell" over the revelations.

"The president, reported to be madder than hell -- which I suppose is an improvement over Secretary Shinseki, who was only mad as hell," Krauthammer said.