How Quickly They Forget...

With the Republicans continuing their rapid attacks on President Obama and his attempts to change the health care system in our country, it is obvious that they are once again suffering from their very own form of selective amnesia. Apparently those individuals have erased from their mind the fact that the Bush administration allocated $950 million to establish universal health care for the citizens of Iraq. Yes, you read that correctly. In fact, Article 30, Section 1 of the Iraqi Constitution (which the United States assisted in drafting) declares that "The State shall guarantee to the individual and the family - especially children and women - social and health security, the basic requirements for living a free and decent life".

In defense of the U.S. funded health care for all Iraqi citizens, Tommy Thompson,the former Secretary of Health and Human Services, stated in March 2004 that "Even if you don't have health insurance, you are still taken care of in America. That certainly could be defined as universal coverage." I guess that all depends on which hospital you go to, as this recent article shows: http://www.app.com/article/20090823/NEWS/90823012/-1/FRONTTABS01/N.J.+hospital+accused+of+diverting+uninsured++Medicaid+patients+to+other+hospitals. With that being said, I am not surprised by Thompson's ridiculous comments. This is the same individual who, during a presidential debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in May 2007, provided the following response to a question regarding whether or not a private company opposed to homosexuality should have the right to terminate a gay employee: "I think that is left up to the individual business. I really sincerely believe that that is an issue that business people have got to make their own determination as to whether or not they should be." The next morning, Thompson called into "American Morning" on CNN and backpedaled: "I made a mistake. I misinterpreted the question. I thought that I answered it yes when I should have answered it no. I didn't hear, I didn't hear the question properly and I apologize. It's not my position. There should be no discrimination in the workplace and I have never believed that."

If that wasn't enough, when addressing a conference organized by the Religious Action Center (RAC) of Reform Judaism in April 2007, Thompson referred to his lucrative transition from public service to the private sector by uttering "You know that's sort of part of the Jewish tradition and I do not find anything wrong with that". After the conclusion of his speech, Thompson was reportedly pulled aside privately by the Director of the RAC, Rabbi David Saperstein, and then returned to the podium to issue the following remarks: "I just want to clarify something because I didn't by any means want to infer or imply anything about Jews and finances and things. What I was referring to, ladies and gentlemen, is the accomplishments of the Jewish religion. You've been outstanding business people and I compliment you for that." When speaking to a reporter from POLITICO.com, Thompson blamed his insensitive comments on the fact that he "was tired".