That is largely a myth that has repeated on and off by the media for 20+ years.
The truth is most Air Force generals and officers love the aircraft and completely understand its role is Close Air Support (CAS). The Air Force Chief of Staff (a 4 star), Mark Welsh, flew the A-10 and has spoken highly of the aircraft in every Congressional testimony.
Here is the ugly truth (one the American people largely refuse to accept) - the US military has been decimated by massive budget cuts (on top of Sequestration cuts as well) and unless Congress and the American people demand that it stops then the military simply cannot do everything that is asked of it.
The only way for the Air Force to come even close to "paying its bill" for the next 8 years of Sequestration cuts is to cut entire fleets of aircraft. Onesey Twosey cuts do not achieve the "savings" that Congress and Obama have demanded through sequestration.
But most Americans simply don't really care. They have their entitlement checks and EBT - and they don't want those cut.