There is an op-ed, dateline today, by:
Charles C. Krulak was commandant of the Marine Corps from 1995 to 1999. Joseph P. Hoar was commander in chief of U.S. Central Command from 1991 to 1994.
9/11 didn't suddenly change everything. I did not change all my views when that happened. I have a "where were you when Kennedy was shot" moment. Still hear the horror in the voice of a radio reporter when she cried that one of the towers was collapsing. But, you know what? I rode the subway home that day. I didn't suddenly think Bush wasn't a jerk. And, a complete re-arranging of how we do things did not seem like a good idea to me. After all, unlike the old dictator in Ancient Rome, things didn't re-boot after six months or whatever. The leader did not simply go back to his farm. No, it went on and on. Much like how things worked once the Caesars came into power.
Rules are followed all over the place, including the rule that certain members of the Democratic Party are boobs. Glenn Greenwald is right today to remind people that saying "you lie" is not the most horrible thing in the world, even if it is during a President's speech. Others did something comparable, to be honest about it. Even Keith Olbermann last night, milking it as far as he could, noted the biggest problem is not the incivility but the lies. Yes, there is a double standard: the Republicans act and get away with worse and there is some false equivalency, it being deemed "partisan" to suggest otherwise. Still, the Republican leadership forced an apology here.
I did say Democrats were acting like boobs here ... there is an effort to add to one plan "to require participants in the health insurance exchanges to provide proof of citizenship." The two boobs here noted that Obama assured people that it was not a problem, but hey, let's make sure. Message: Joe Wilson (no not Mr. Valerie Plame ... remember her?) had a point. He called attention, and Democrats responded. Stupid assholes. As some note, this burdens people in need, including those who are citizens but are not able to prove it at the time ("I'm hurt! ... papers please") because of not having the proper paperwork. This recalls the problem of demanded special id for voting.
This discussion underlines the complexities of the situation. Emergency treatment will still be provided, which is a form of "insurance" (some Republicans point to emergency rooms as evidence no one really lacks insurance). Obama is said to accept that illegals could still buy into private plans. Why they shouldn't also be able to buy into some public sponsored plan is unclear. And, what about non-emergency care that ultimately will have long term effects? Penny-wise, pound foolish? Also, the piece ends:
Senators who have been negotiating a compromise health care bill in the Senate Finance Committee said on Friday that they were contemplating steps to prevent illegal immigrants from benefiting from the health system overhaul, but some aides said they did not believe lawmakers intended to bar illegal immigrants from purchasing insurance at full cost, through the new exchange or otherwise, should they be able to do so.
What does that really mean? A major chunk of the uninsured are illegals.* They are not going to go away. It is practical and ethical [after all, he ended the speak honoring God] to include them into the program, even if they do not get all the benefits. As with the "no abortion" pledge, which ignores those cases where the person has serious health concerns, this is a petty scare tactic that will lead to some bad policy, minor or not.
[last paragraph replaced with NYT discussion]
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* [Update] One account notes experts have "estimated there were 6.8 million uninsured illegal immigrants in the United States in 2007, out of a total of 11.9 million illegal immigrants." It argues that Obama did not "lie," but that some plan might benefit them, though they would pay just as much as everyone else. And, this is a good thing really:
When we look at all of this evidence, it seems that health reform leaves in place the status quo on illegal immigration, and certainly does not provide any new benefits particularly for illegal immigrants. We hope to look at this issue more in the days ahead, because some hospitals are concerned about recouping their costs for treating illegal immigrants, and we're curious to know more about that problem and how it might or might not be solved by reform.
Putting aside many of these illegals have family who are not illegal, and the ethics of the matter, bottom line reforms should deal with them as well. But, this goes against the demonization of the group in question.