The Cover-Up Continues

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/26/opinion/26mon1.html

The Obama administration has clung for so long to the Bush administration’s expansive claims of national security and executive power that it is in danger of turning President George W. Bush’s cover-up of abuses committed in the name of fighting terrorism into President Barack Obama’s cover-up.

snip

In that case, the Obama administration has repeated a disreputable Bush-era argument that the executive branch is entitled to have lawsuits shut down whenever it makes a blanket claim of national security. The ruling rejected that argument and noted that the government’s theory would “effectively cordon off all secret actions from judicial scrutiny, immunizing the C.I.A. and its partners from the demands and limits of the law.”

snip

Like the insistence on overly broad claims of secrecy, it also avoids an important step toward accountability, which is the only way to ensure that the abuses of the Bush years are never repeated. We urge Mr. Gates to use his discretion under the new law to release the photos, sparing Americans more cover-up.

"I am sick in bed, I don't feel like writing this post, and I realize that half the board is going to jump all over me. Oh well, it needs to be written and it needs to be said. The public option is bait and switch at its worst, and we must not allow the supposed 'victory' announced by Harry Reid to divert us from advocating for real health care reform.

The only reform worth passing is a bill that includes the Weiner amendment. The Weiner amendment would replace language in HR3200 with legislation for a true Medicare for All system. Pelosi has stated before that the Weiner amendment would be allowed to come to the floor for debate and a vote. Currently, there is an effort to push Pelosi to stay true to her word, and there is a campaign to ensure that she honor her word. You can send a free fax and contact all your representatives at the following link:

http://www.1payer.net/faxapp/senders/add/c...

I know many people on this board believe that the news today constitutes some sort of victory. I do not believe that is the case, and I will outline why."

I urge everyone who wants to understand the HELP committee's 'public option' to read this entire article. It is very important and it is crucial to understanding the bait and switch that will occur, if this legislation is passed by the Senate. The link to this article is here:

http://pnhp.org/blog/2009/08/14/the-senate... /

However, there is still a glimmer of hope. If everyone joins together and really PUSHES as hard for the Weiner Amendment as they did for single payer, we might stand a chance. I write this post because my worry is complacency after the announcement given today. We must push for real change and reform, and as it stands currently, our only hope is the passage of the Weiner amendment.

Please call Pelois and tell her that you want her to keep her word and allow a floor debate and house vote on the Weiner amendment. Tell her that this is the legislation that you support.

Here is her website. E-mail & numbers are here: http://www.house.gov/pelosi / CALLING IS MOST EFFECTIVE. Do both.

Call your Congressperson and tell them that you want them to vote YES.

Call the White House and tell them you fully support the Weiner amendment and that is the legislation that you want passed.

Again, you can send free faxes and contact your members of Congress at the following link for FREE:

http://www.1payer.net/faxapp/senders/add/c...

Durbin: Progressives Forced Our Hand On Public Option


Democratic leaders were forced to include a national public health insurance option as part of health care reform by progressive Democratic senators who refused to support anything less, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said on Monday.

Durbin's assessment was made to a handful of reporters following the announcement by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) that after weeks of talks with his colleagues he had determined that including a public option that states could opt out of was the best way to go.

For many years, it's been centrist and conservative-leaning senators who have been scoring legislative victories by digging in their heels, so this represented a quite dramatic turnabout. It is difficult to remember the last time that progressives won a legislative victory by laying down firm demands and sticking to them. In the House, the Congressional Progressive Caucus has found its feet, too, and is locked in a final battle with conservative Democrats over the shape of a public option.

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Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/26/durbin-progres...
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Source: The Washington Post

U.S. official resigns over Afghan war
Foreign Service officer and former Marine captain says he no longer knows why his nation is fighting
By Karen DeYoung
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, October 27, 2009

When Matthew Hoh joined the Foreign Service early this year, he was exactly the kind of smart civil-military hybrid the administration was looking for to help expand its development efforts in Afghanistan.

A former Marine Corps captain with combat experience in Iraq, Hoh had also served in uniform at the Pentagon, and as a civilian in Iraq and at the State Department. By July, he was the senior U.S. civilian in Zabul province, a Taliban hotbed.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/20...

The "Public Option" we wind up with could be a real horror show.

of health care coverage which might result from anything much more than the Senate came up with, I expect Speaker Pelosi to go right to the edge of what is possible

It is in there. It will take months to make a transition. The item I am looking for is the McCain idea of immediate catastrophic coverage like Obama promised in the speech to Congress.

The public option as part of the exchange will be of immense benefit to millions. Not every day Congress actually improves the lives of millions.