I find myself reflexively stroking my chin, nodding and offering a harumph when I read this.
One of President Barack Obama’s closest Republican allies in the Senate urged him to put health care reform on the backburner and focus on Afghanistan.
Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.), a trusted GOP voice on foreign policy matters, told CNN’s “State of the Union” that in light of a forthcoming increase in troops to Afghanistan, Democrats should turn their attention to matters of war and money.
“[W]e’re not going to do that debating health care and the Senate for three weeks through all sorts of strategies and so forth,” said the Indiana Republican. “The war is terribly important. Jobs and our economy are terribly important. So this may be an audacious suggestion, but I would suggest we put aside the health care debate until next year, the same way we put cap and trade and climate change and talk now about the essentials, the war and money.”
Besides, government provided health insurance will never work, while transforming Afghan society, quelling multiple interlocking civil wars and insurgencies and pacifying the region permanently (as an outside and distrusted power) is totally doable.
With proper focus, we should be able wrap up that cakewalk within, say, the next year or so. Then we can turn back to this fanciful notion of “government provided health insurance.” Good luck with that.
November 30, 2009 at 10:02 am
Isn’t there supposed to be an umlaut over the u in Lugar? Or a swastika?
November 30, 2009 at 10:08 am
Bonus Punchtuation Mark
November 30, 2009 at 10:09 am
Very Special Guest Star
November 30, 2009 at 10:36 am
Just because Lugar’s call to put aside healthcare debate and focus on Afghanistan meshes perfectly with the overall Republican plan to delay healthcare reform for as long as possible doesn’t mean there’s any connection whatever.
On the other hand, Lugar’s suggestion does clash dramatically with GOP complaints that Obama thinks too much. I guess maybe they want him to spend more time not thinking about Afghanistan so he’ll have more time later to not think about healthcare.
November 30, 2009 at 12:30 pm
Frankly, I am sick of people talking about how expensive the war is! The richest nation in the world doiesn’t worry about how much it costs to make sure it can bnlow up whoever it wants!
November 30, 2009 at 1:34 pm
Face it. War is profitable. The health insurance industry is profitable. Why do you want to outlaw profit, Mr. hippie communist?