The president described Shinseki as a "great soldier" who has "put his heart and soul into this thing."

At the same time, Obama is bringing in the White House deputy chief of staff, Rob Nabors, to oversee a broader review. He dispatched Nabors on Wednesday to Phoenix, where allegations of patient deaths tied to delayed care first surfaced.

"We've got to do better," Obama conceded, while indicating he wants to wait for the conclusion of internal probes before addressing whether any more top officials should resign.

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