Did you see Clay Aiken on TV today?  Clay just was interviewed by Brooke Baldwin on CNN Newsroom.

Clay was asked about the Veterans Administration and  about how he heard of the passing of his opponent, Keith Crisco.

Brooke showed a bit of Renee Ellmers when she was being interviewed by Anderson Cooper.  Clay said more than once that he looked forward to debating with Renee and also said that she was one of the big reasons he decided to run.

The following are some of the tweets that came up immediately.  I have removed the names of the sender.

@clayaiken Just saw your @CNN interview and I must say I am a fan of the way you carry yourself politically. Best of luck from S. Carolina.

Okay, @clayaiken you got my vote! You are an amazing human being, and you ACTUALLY understand that petty politics is damaging! #clayaiken

@e_mcleod_ Wait, when did Clay Aiken 1.Get hot? 2. Decide to run for office?

On CNN right now: @clayaiken: “I would love to debate Renee Ellmers…I look fwd to the opportunity and I hope she gives it to me.”

Watching #CNN’s @BrookeBCNN. I’m a Republican but I think @clayaiken makes ALOT of sense!

If I lived in North Carolina, Clay Aiken would certainly have my vote for Congress. I hope the residents in his district vote him in. #wow

@clayaiken that was a great interview just now on cnn. I think you said what many people feel about politics as usual. Good for you!

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CNN  has put the video on their site Click on the link below!!  It is not the entire interview, but it’s a start!

Political Ticker: Aiken: ‘Buck has to stop’ with Obama on VA

American Idol star turned congressional nominee Clay Aiken called the Department of Veterans Affairs “unwieldy,” and said President Barack Obama is ultimately responsible for holding the VA accountable.

Asked by CNN’s Brooke Baldwin on Wednesday whether the President should take a more hands-on approach to dealing the growing controversy, Aiken said, “I certainly think the President is responsible for it at the end of the day.”

“He is the commander in chief of the military. He is the executive, so the buck has to stop with him,” he said.

Aiken’s comments come on the heels of Obama’s first public statement Wednesday on the flare up over fraudulent record-keeping that covered up excessive and sometimes deadly waiting times for veterans at some VA facilities.

Aiken noted that his brother is a veteran and acknowledged the large military population in his North Carolina district.

“I think people should all be very frustrated with the disorganization, to put it lightly, of the VA. The VA is an unwieldy organization, and I think that some of the mismanagement it’s had over the past several years has started showing itself,” he said.

The number of VA facilities under investigation has expanded to 26, the agency’s Office of Inspector General said Tuesday. Aiken said he wouldn’t be surprised if the issues were even more wide-spread.

Aiken’s rise to Democratic nominee, challenging two-term Rep. Renee Ellmers in North Carolina’s 2nd Congressional District, has been anything but conventional.

Last week, Aiken’s primary opponent died on that same day he was expected to concede the race. Aiken told CNN he was speechless when he heard the news. His campaign temporarily suspended activities.

Looking forward to November, Aiken is maintaining his optimism against long odds in a heavily Republican district, insisting that his constituents aren’t focused on politics.

Despite his star power, the 2003 “American Idol” runner-up will face an uphill battle in the reliably conservative district, which is located in the central part of the state, against Ellmers.