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The Liberal Doomsayer
My blog deals primarily with national politics in the U.S. as well as, on occasion, local politics in Pennsylvania. From time to time, I may have something to say about sports and entertainment as well. I try to interpret information that shapes the news and provide context to current events. I am definitely left of center politically, but I believe no one knows everything.
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Video From Chris Dodd on FISA Filibuster
2007-10-28 20:47:10
Another hat tip to Prof. Marcus for this one (from here)...Prof. Marcus also noted that we should be hearing words like this from the John Edwards campaign (I would say we should be hearing this from all other Democratic candidates also).(By the way, this isn't quite all of what Dodd said - I've seen the full version from his congressional site - but it's close enough.)Update 10/28: Speaking of Edwards, good stuff here, but... ...
Video
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Friday Videos
2007-10-28 01:31:18
Happy Birthday to Keith Strickland of The B-52's ("Private Idaho" - insert your Larry Craig snark here)......Happy Birthday also to Bootsy Collins ("Play With Bootsy" - like the beat)......Happy Birthday tomorrow to Simon LeBon of Duran Duran ("Come Undone" - so the guy is in drag and the woman is singing under water; got it)......and Happy Birthday on Sunday to Randy Newman ("I Think It's Going To Rain Today" - maybe for another day or so around here). ...
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Remembering Heroes
2007-10-27 21:30:41
We continue to greatly miss Paul Wellstone in this country, both as a person of character and a politician of vision and courage; he, his wife, their daughter and five others died in a plane crash five years ago today.I can only imagine how he would be reacting at this moment to the sight of Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer slapping down a fellow Democratic member of Congress for speaking out against Iraq (and Pete Stark is an Air Force veteran of the Korean War, no less).Update: I went a bit "brainless" above; though I'm sure Wellstone would have been concerned, to say the least, about Pelosi and Hoyer, I think he would have taken issue more directly with the actions of Harry Reid, since Wellstone served in the Senate.Also, our forces sustained our 2,000th casualty in Iraq two years ago on this date; who could have ever imagined that we'd be closing in on almost twice that number today?Update 10/27: mcjoan at The Daily Kos has more. ...
Heroes
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Where The Rubber Meets The Road (10/26/07)
2007-10-27 06:57:55
As reported in last Sunday's Philadelphia Inquirer, here is how Philadelphia-area members of Congress were recorded on major roll-call votes last week.(This has been one nutty week for your humble narrator, by the way - it's a miracle I've been able to post anything or answer a single comment...yeah yeah, I know, I got 'yer cryin' towel right here, ya' wuss.)Children's health insurance. In a 273-156 vote, the House failed to reach the two-thirds majority needed to override President Bush's veto of a bill that would have renewed the State Children's Health Insurance Program through 2012 at a cost of $60 billion, up $35 billion from current levels.A yes vote was to override the veto and enact the bill (HR 976).Voting yes: Robert E. Andrews (D., N.J.), Robert A. Brady (D., Pa.), Michael N. Castle (R., Del.), Charles W. Dent (R., Pa.), Chaka Fattah (D., Pa.), Jim Gerlach (R., Pa.), Tim Holden (D., Pa.), Frank A. LoBiondo (R., N.J.), Patrick Murphy (D., Pa.), Allyson Schwartz (D., Pa.), Joe ...
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Have A Banana, Carlos
2007-10-26 21:24:57
Yesterday’s New York Times reported something that I thought was a bit amazing involving Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez (I’ll get to it below).The focal point of the story was Bushco’s typically wrongheaded demonization of Hugo Chavez in pursuit of a trade agreement with Colombia; though it’s an understatement to say that Chavez has issues, he has managed to achieve a level of popularity with those totally ignored by our executive regime, and Chavez has actually tried to establish warm relations with the same nation we are courting also.As reported by the Times here...Many Democrats have opposed trade deals, even those pushed by President Bill Clinton. The administration hopes to win over enough Democrats to pass the Latin American pacts this year or next. There is, however, considerable disagreement whether the argument of countering Mr. Chávez as a security matter will persuade Democrats.Democrats say that the House speaker, Representative Nancy Pelosi, has warned the a ...
Banana
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Kudos To Casey
2007-10-26 21:12:50
I’ve rightfully dumped on Sideshow Bob Casey for a little while now since I believe that he, like many other congressional Dems, has utterly failed us on the two most critical issues facing this country: namely, the FISA giveaway to Dubya (it would be nice if you supported Chris Dodd’s filibuster on immunity to the telecomms, Bob) and the Iraq war (though he did support the Webb amendment entitling our military to stays at home that matched the length of their deployments to Iraq).Update: Speaking of Dodd, if you read nothing else online all day, or all month for that matter - read this!!.However, I should note that Casey did vote here against the confirmation of Leslie Southwick to the Fifth Circuit, U.S. Court of Appeals. However, as was the case with the Webb Amendment, Casey did the right thing in a losing cause.Here are the so-called “Democrats” who supported the Southwick confirmation…Akaka (HI)Byrd (WV)Conrad (ND)Dorgan (ND)Feinstein (CA – ugh)Johnson (SD)Lincoln (AR ...
Casey
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Bushco's New Poodle?
2007-10-26 21:08:13
So Aussie PM John Howard has said “the surge” has "been more successful than many of its critics wanted it to be or believe it would be," huh (from here – h/t Thers at Eschaton).Well, according to here, our buds down under have about 820 troops total in Mesopotamia at this moment, and this story from last February tells us that Howard acted like a real pal for us and send over an additional 50 to 70 troops (in advance of a visit from Dark Lord Dick Cheney, who no doubt threatened to “accidentally” shoot Howard in the face if he didn’t pony up).That’s nice, but somehow I don’t think that’s going to make much of a difference since, according to the Wikipedia link, we have about 168,000 over in that pit at this moment.On the other hand, Rep. Jan Schakowsky went over to Iraq about two and a half months ago and tells a very different story here; call me a skeptic, but I’m inclined to believe her over the head of a country that has decided to send what qualifies as a toke ...
Poodle
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Today’s Reasons To Vote For Diane And Steve
2007-10-26 20:08:20
The following letters appeared in the Courier Times yesterday (here, here, and here)…Why haven't Republican Bucks County Commis- sioners Charley Martin and Jim Cawley, both up for re-election, gone on record expressing concern about the Draft Bucks County Regional Traffic Study recently published by the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) for state Reps. Dave Steil and Scott Petri's Regional Traffic Task Force?The commissioners were copied on a Sept. 19 letter from citizen watchdog group RRTS to the DVRPC, which stated this about the study: "The strategic and peculiar placement of the roundabout [at the intersection of Stoopville and Washington Crossing roads exacerbates the serious safety and quality-of-life issues that exist on Stoopville and Lindenhurst roads, as it will encourage even higher volumes of traffic, especially commercial traffic, to travel these roads at even greater speeds."The placement of this roundabout will cause Stoopville Road to function more ...
Vote
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SCHIP, Again
2007-10-26 17:33:15
The New York Times tells us here that the U.S. House in Congress made the following revisions to the SCHIP bill before they voted on it yesterday…House Democrats tried hard to address the issues raised and relentlessly hyped by Republican critics. The bill would speed up the removal of childless adults who have been enrolled in the program in a handful of states, and would reduce the enrollment of parents, even though including parents is often the best way to reach their children.So the Dems thus turned a winning hand into a losing one in an effort to placate the Repugs here – unbelievable.And as the Times editorial continues…House Republicans still wanted more. They sought to eliminate all adults from the program, except pregnant women, and to base eligibility on gross income — with no ability to discount spending on child care or other vital needs. The Republicans also wanted to impose arduous documentation requirements to ensure that no illegal immigrants are enrolled, even ...
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Friday Morning Funnies
2007-10-26 14:45:21
I was at first hesitant to put up a video with such an extended excerpt of Dubya, but I think Keith has too many good things to say here, so...And as I watched our red-state president, I found myself wondering if he's been indulging in a little too much in his beverage of choice lately, if you get my drift (some Dickel Sour Mash perhaps)... ...
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Thursday Videos
2007-10-26 06:04:09
Seether ("Fake It," uncensored; the song is about 3:36, and there's a lot of stuff after the song ends that you can just click out of if you want)......and happy belated birthday to Bill Wyman, formerly of The Rolling Stones ("Monkey Man," accompanying an edited montage from "Goodfellas" - terrific stuff). ...
Videos
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"Genghis" Cohen And Memories Of "Old Europe"
2007-10-25 21:03:05
I don’t think we’ll ever have to worry about anyone getting wistful for the return of Don (“Hiding Out At The Hoover Institution”) Rumsfeld to Bushco, particularly since Roger Cohen of the New York Times seems to be so eager to “channel” Rummy today concerning the Now And Forever You Pete Stark-Supporting Chicken Libtard Global War On Terra Terra Terra!!!(“Libtard” – I haven’t been called that for awhile now, and it chokes me up a bit actually…sniff :-).Here is an excerpt from Cohen’s latest offering today, in which he laments the toll on NATO exacted by the Afghan war, particularly in the Taliban-held south and east (I made a passing reference to that conflict in the last post)…That, however, is a fact Europeans are reluctant to accept, just as the link between slaughter in Madrid, London or Amsterdam and the Afghan-Pakistani terror nexus seems unconvincing to many Europeans floating on an Iraq-comforted wave of moral smugness.That’s some interesting new fr ...
Cohen
Europe
Memories
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You Want It? Pay For It!
2007-10-25 19:03:41
I am adamantly opposed to any notion whatsoever of trying to reinstate the draft because George W. Bush has decimated our military to the point where new recruits are so desperately needed.However, I do support a war tax such as the one proposed here a few weeks ago by House Democrats David Obey, Jack Murtha, and Jim McGovern.I didn’t say this previously perhaps when I should have, but I was reminded to do so by this New York Times editorial today which restates Bushco’s catastrophic fiscal priorities. And at this point, I’m tiring of the pathetic whining of this “president” about spending when he continues to sink untold dollars into the black hole that was once the country known as Iraq.And I am equally tired of the placid acceptance by too many people in this country of the horrific status quo; as nearly as I can determine, it really is true that the war at this point has turned into background noise for anyone not immediately affected by it or willing to protest it in any ...
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Doing Anything On Saturday?
2007-10-25 04:58:38
The Mobilization To End The War will take place on October 27th; here's more...(and they're planning for more, as we know...) ...
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Some Surprising Help
2007-10-25 04:24:27
The WaPo tells us today that former PA governor Dick Thornburgh testified before the House Judiciary Committee that his client, Cyril Wecht (a coroner and high-profile western PA Democrat) was being singled out by U.S. Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan (pictured)…"(Wecht) has always been a contentious, outspoken, highly critical and highly visible Democratic figure in western Pennsylvania," Thornburgh told the House Judiciary Committee. "In other words, he would qualify as an ideal target for a Republican U.S. attorney trying to curry favor with a department which demonstrated that if you play by its rules, you will advance."Thornburgh also said that Wecht "was not the only apparent political prosecution in western Pennsylvania," pointing to three high-profile cases of other local Democrats brought by (Buchanan) of Pittsburgh.And this tells us more about Buchanan’s penchant for self-promotion through prosecuting specious cases other attorneys wouldn’t touch, such as one in particular ...
Help
Surprising
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Little Ricky And The Inky Consummate At Last
2007-10-25 00:11:35
Well, isn’t Brian Tierney of Philadelphia Media Holdings L.L.C. all aglow over this.It seems that our infamous former Senator has decided to ply his minimal talent in the name of writing a column for Philadelphia’s freeper paper of record (and as D-Mac notes here, I was expecting “Islamo-fascism Awareness Week” to come and go pretty much without incident; color me surprised).Who knows, though – Senator Man-On-Dog may actually prove to be an improvement over Smerky, who seems content any more to churn out such dreck as another of his “muzzle meter” columns, an ode to stink bugs (serious), and a supreme fluffing of Flush Limbore (no shot on links).However, I want to take a moment to focus on the other columnist hired by the Inquirer today, and that would be George Curry (see, the Inky seems to think they can get by forever with this “conservative spin/liberal spin” thing on any chosen writer or topic, and that will always be good enough – not holding my breath).I don ...
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Wednesday Bucks County Dem Wrapup
2007-10-24 22:43:20
The following Guest Opinion appeared in today’s Bucks County Courier Times from Steve Santarsiero and Diane Marseglia…With Republicans in charge of Bucks County, property taxes have risen 46 percent in just six years. As we approach Election Day, taxpayers should ask themselves: What have we gotten for our money?During this campaign, we have been saddened by the missed opportunities and disturbing pattern of misplaced priorities we have uncovered. Just a few examples should make our point.We suffered three catastrophic floods recently. Congressman Patrick Murphy quickly offered to help launch an Army Corps of Engineers study of the Delaware River. The current county commissioners refused to help fund this critical initiative even though significant federal funding will not flow unless the study is done. Our opponents found $250,000 for political mailings and self-serving signs, but ignore the health, safety and welfare of our residents along the Delaware. There is no excuse for the ...
County
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It's Called Telling A Story, David
2007-10-24 22:14:50
(Posting looks like a big question mark for today, by the way – lots of other stuff going on at the moment..)I honestly was willing to let sleeping dogs lie over this, as they say, but David Chase, creator of “The Sopranos,” just ticked me off big time (not a thing to do with politics here, but I have to vent).This is what Chase said here…Breaking his silence months after the HBO mob drama ended its run, he is offering a belated explanation for that blackout at the restaurant (i.e., the screen went dark at the very end of the last episode with no further explanation). He strongly suggests that, no, Tony Soprano didn't get whacked moments later as he munched onion rings with his family at Holsten's. And mostly Chase wonders why so many viewers got so worked up over the series' non-finish."There WAS a war going on that week, and attempted terror attacks in London," says Chase. "But these people were talking about onion rings."…Chase says the New Jersey mob boss "had been people ...
Story
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Tuesday Videos
2007-10-24 05:21:31
Coheed and Cambria ("The Running Free"; such a cheerful, uplifting song - possibly the first time I've ever seen an alternative rocker singing (?) under water)......Happy Birthday to jazz vocalist Dianne Reeves ("How High The Moon"; wonderful in "Good Night, And Good Luck" if you've never seen her - the musicians are Billy Childs on piano, Chris Severin on bass and Billy Kilson on drums )......Happy Birthday to Weird Al Yankovic ("Eat It," the closest you'll ever get to a Michael Jackson video here, by the way)......and to commemorate the 76th birthday of Repug Kentucky Senator Jim Bunning (wow, can they pick 'em down here between 'ol Jimbo and Sen. Mr. Elaine Chao, or what?), here's "Crazy," by Gnarls Barkley :-). ...
Videos
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A "Mickey Mouse" Cover Up?
2007-10-23 21:45:15
The following news item pretty much came and went in the business section of today’s New York Times…ABC News said yesterday that it had ended an investigation into a consultant whom it fired for falsifying his résumé and concluded that the reporting he had contributed to the network was sound.In response to the incident, ABC will make changes to its system of hiring consultants, reviewing claims of prior employment and academic credentials more thoroughly, David L. Westin, the president of ABC News, wrote in a memorandum yesterday. Also, the network’s news practices unit will be involved in all hiring decisions and reporting situations involving consultants, he wrote.One would wonder why this unit was not involved in such decisions in the first place.The Times story deals with Alexis Debat, a terrorism analyst who had been on the payroll of ABC as a consultant since 2001, according to the Times.Call me just another filthy, unkempt liberal blogger, but I think this sort of blank ...
Cover
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Dick Still Wants To Lick Iran
2007-10-23 19:47:45
I guess I should take a minute to note the recent appearance once more of Mr. “Fourth Branch” himself, “Deadeye Dick” Cheney, even though I really don’t want to.So he gave another speech in front of a gaggle of conservative idiots. So he’s threatening war with Iran for the umpteenth time.So he’s letting the entire world know yet again that he’s a reactionary old fool because his words have proven to be nothing but lying propaganda.Well, just for the record, I’d like to present this Think Progress link which explains how an air strike against Iran would actually accelerate their nuclear development, as well as generating sympathy from nations which (I would guess) are just about fed up with us anyway.And not to be outdone, President Stupid Head asked for $42 billion more for war today (I guess he thinks we’ve forgotten about the SCHIP fiasco by now and it’s safe for him to say this; just keep it up, Dubya, and watch your party go down in flames even more next year) ...
Iran
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Faux News Gives Us The Business
2007-10-23 19:41:10
So how exactly is the Faux Business Channel holding up after a little more than one week on the air?Well, here is how New York Times business writer Joe Nocera summed it up in this column from last Saturday (I hope to be out of catch-up mode soon)…It was Thursday around 4:30, and I couldn’t take it anymore.All week long, I’d been sporadically watching Rupert Murdoch’s new Fox Business Network, which made its debut on Monday. I was trying to figure out what, exactly, it was trying to do — and who its audience was supposed to be. It wasn’t an easy task.One minute Fox was doing a segment that included a $1 million diamond; the next it was giving tips on how to avoid foreclosure. It would home in on the stock market and then report on the death of a teenager in Virginia from a staph infection, reports that included several truly silly efforts to frame the tragedy as a business story. On Tuesday afternoon, while CNBC was dissecting Intel’s earnings, Fox was running its “Happ ...
Business
News
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Driving The Debate On Illegals
2007-10-23 18:21:24
I’ve tried to stay out of the fray regarding the plan of New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer to issue driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants in New York state. I even passed on a chance to say something the end of last month when Rudy! jumped into the fray and criticized Spitzer’s plan, even though the “mayor of 9/11” supported Proposition 187 in California in 1994 which approved benefits to illegals (here).And I’d like to call your attention to this paragraph in the Times story from September 29th…“The reality is there is so much traffic in false documents that creates part of this problem,” (Giuliani) said. “It is the reason I am so much in favor of a tamper-proof ID card for people who come in from foreign countries and want to work here.”Well, guess what, Rudy? Richard Clarke, the former chief counterterrorism adviser to the State Department under President Clinton, is in favor of ID cards also. He also agrees with Gov. Spitzer and not with you; as noted here…The U ...
Debate
Driving
Illegals
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Monday Videos
2007-10-23 05:49:05
Velvet Revolver ("The Last Fight" - quality is a bit rough)......Happy Birthday to Leslie West of Mountain (kind of a goofed-up version of their Top 40 hit "Mississippi Queen" from 1970; no clue as to the guy doing the promo at the end)......Happy Birthday also to Shelby Lynne ("Wall In Your Heart"; skirting dangerously close to country on this one, and I usually detest vids with the artist performing and move clips mixed in, but I have to admit that I like this song)......and finally, Lou Reed tells us that "There Is No Time" (how right he is, though the "Pelosi for President '07" bumper sticker is laughable at this moment). ...
Videos
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"Humanizing" The Inhuman
2007-10-23 05:16:41
This letter appeared in the Bucks County Courier Times on Saturday (some "catch-up" stuff to do for your humble narrator)…Conservative columnist Suzanne Fields attacked Hillary Clinton’s “cackle” in her Oct. 8 column. She also attacked the aspect of humor in our politicians, mentioning Bill Clinton, Rudy Giuliani, Fred Thompson, Gerald Ford and President George W. Bush.Fields wrote, “Because most of us demand a sense of humor to humanize presidents, unfunny things can pass for humor in Washington. That’s why presidents (with good script writers) go out of their way to laugh at themselves once or twice. George W. Bush entertained one press dinner a few years ago with a slide of himself looking under the furniture in the Oval Office, saying: ‘Those weapons of mass destruction have to be here somewhere’.”I would pose a question to Fields: If she asked the loved ones of the American troops who died or were maimed for life in Iraq because of the nonexistent weapons of mass ...
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The "Hotline" To Legislative Hell
2007-10-23 01:00:15
I came across a story in Parade magazine about a practice called “hotlining,” which to me sounds like some kind of a buddy-buddy arrangement between Sens. Harry Reid and Sen. Mr. Elaine Chao (why Reid would consent to a sham of an arrangement like this is something I cannot fathom; it is as mystifying as his behavior towards Chris Dodd).This link provides more information, notably the following (according to Repug Jeff Sessions of Alabama)…"In each Senate office there are three telephones with hotline buttons on them. Most evenings, sometimes after business hours, these phones begin to ring. The calls are from the Republican and the Democratic leaders to each of their Members, asking consent to pass this or that bill--not consider the bill or have debate on the bill but to pass it. Those calls will normally give a deadline. If the staff do(es) not call back in 30 minutes, the bill passes. Boom. It can be 500 pages. In many offices, when staffers do not know anything about the bil ...
Hell
Legislative
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Monday Bucks County Dem Roundup
2007-10-22 23:26:38
The following also appeared in the Bucks County Courier Times on Saturday (in addition to John Wible’s great letter – this was a “Thumbs Up”)……to Lower Makefield Supervisor Steve Santarsiero for pushing for a township law that would open up access to township documents.Santarsiero, Democratic candidate for county commissioner, recently outlined his “Open And Fair Government Ordinance,” which would require residents to be able to review any record (except for specified exemptions) within 24 hours of requesting it and for the township to provide a copy of some documents related to litigation and personnel records within five days.The ordinance also requires township employees to resign before running for public office, prohibits any township employee from participating in political activities and bars political literature from being displayed or distributed in township offices.Some residents say the ordinance isn’t necessary because the township already has a very open ...
County
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More Like This Anyway
2007-10-22 05:24:37
This is how Dem Rep. Pete Stark of California earned the wrath of Nancy The Nag and Sellout Steny a day or so ago.I knew impeachment was off the table, but I didn't know righteous anger and showing a spine while standing up to Repug intimidation was also.I guess Steny and Nancy had no trouble giving up their lunch money to the school bullies when they were little kids many years ago. ...
Anyway
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More Proof That David Broder Is An Idiot
2007-10-21 17:13:26
In today's WaPo, the "Dean of Beltway Journalism" offers us this...For most of the American public, Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt is best defined by his role defending President Bush's controversial veto of the State Children's Health Insurance Program.Leavitt, along with the president, has argued that the bipartisan bill is too ambitious and too expensive, encroaching on the private insurance market. For his pains, he has been characterized as an ogre, standing in the way of better treatment for millions of youngsters in cash-strapped families.That is not the man I got to know and admire in his years as governor of Utah and a leader in the National Governors Association. And it is not the man I heard address a conference of health-care insurers and providers here last week.Part of the reason why Leavitt has been characterized as an ogre on kids' health is because he is an ogre on kids' health - as noted here (Question #10 - from his days as Utah governor, when Br ...
Idiot
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