Quote of the Day

Senator Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, reminding us that maybe Joe Lieberman isn't the guy we should be mad at for the underwhelming health care bill.

Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.), among the most vocal supporters of the public option, said it would be unfair to blame Lieberman for its apparent demise. Feingold said that responsibility ultimately rests with President Barack Obama and he could have insisted on a higher standard for the legislation.

“This bill appears to be legislation that the president wanted in the first place, so I don’t think focusing it on Lieberman really hits the truth,” said Feingold. “I think they could have been higher. I certainly think a stronger bill would have been better in every respect.”

First off Russ, I think you underestimate my capacity to hold multiple people in spiteful contempt. Currently I loathe over 6,000 individuals, simultaneously. So it's easy to add Barack Obama in under the subheading "Health Care, fucking up of" without pushing Holy Joe out.

Secondly, are you and Glenn Greenwald trying to intimate that just because Lieberman's demands happened to coincide almost exactly what the Finance Committee passed out of conference, which just happened to coincide with the deal the White House negotiated with insurers and pharmaceutical companies, and just because the only time the President ever interjected himself into the health care debate were to sandbag progressive priorities and tell the vast majority of Democrats to roll over for the Lieberman's, Stupak's, and Nelson's of the world, that it means that the bill is exactly what President Obama wanted?

I mean that's a little conspiratorial, don't you think? They're all just happy coincidences.