Tommy backs health care for Iraqis, but not for Americans

Tommy Thompson belittles the health care bill while pandering to the tea partiers on the government "taking over the health care system":

Government-controlled health care No, this legislation is not as significant as Medicare, which enabled the elderly and disabled to receive real protection when they were less capable of obtaining coverage and had no alternatives whatsoever. But this legislation has the potential to change the current social services fabric because the health insurance transformation that will pass will be the beginning of a government-controlled health care system.-- Tommy Thompson in NY Times.

Which makes this more relevant, from Rep. John Boccieri (D-OH) on the House floor:

“I’ll remind my friends on the other side (House Republicans) who voted to send (former president George W. Bush’s secretary of health and human services) Tommy Thompson to Iraq with a billion dollar checks in hand to make sure that every man, woman and child in Iraq had universal health care coverage.”

Boccieri then raised his voice, as people in the chamber applauded and cheered.

“If it’s good enough for Iraqis, it’s good enough for Americans,” he yelled. “Who are you going to stand with today?”

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