Yesterday we learned that the Department of Defense headed by former Senator Chuck Hagel has stopped payments to the families of military people killed in Afghanistan. That is an absolute disgrace. There is no excuse for it.

The two men responsible are the Commander-in-Chief President Obama and Secretary Hagel. The President has the power by executive order to pay for anything he wants, despite the government shutdown. Hagel allowed it to happen. He should resign immediately.

The situation is so outrageous that Ken Fisher who heads up the Fisher House Charity that helps military families says that his organization will pay the families' expenses until the government wises up.

Military benefits of the families of those killed in action are about $100,000. And we know of 26 service families that have so far been denied. We have the names of six military people who are being dishonored by their own government: Lt. Jennifer Moreno, Sergeant Patrick Hawkins, Sergeant Joseph Peters, Private First Class Cody Patterson, Lance Corporal Jeremiah Collins, and Private Angel Lopez. These brave Americans sacrificed their lives for this country. And they get this? They get this?

The whole debacle once again points out that President Obama's leadership capacity is in steep decline. We saw it in the Syrian situation. We are seeing it again in the government shutdown.

A new Associated Press poll says that the President's job approval rating has now slipped to 37 percent, the lowest point in his tenure. And while the majority polled continue to blame the Republicans for the government shutdown the gap is closing.

And by the way the AP is one of the most liberal news agencies in the country. It has backed President Obama all the way. It must have pained them to release this poll. And the headline they put out buried the lead. The headline says "Poll: GOP Gets the Blame in Shutdown." So you can see how fair the AP really is.

The entire Obamacare government shutdown thing is a catastrophe. There is no question Obamacare is not ready to be rolled out. All the evidence says that. If the President would simply admit it and delay the individual mandate for a year the impasse would be solved. But Mr. Obama is too stubborn to do that and Americans are starting to catch on.

In the meantime, major damage is being done to the country and to the families of our service people killed in action. There is no excuse as I said. There is no excuse. Hagel must go. He has lost all credibility among the military. And the President should order those payments immediately.

And that's "The Memo."

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