Such a “universal” [healthcare] system has been the core liberal aspiration since the age of Bismarck. But time and again this political ambition has been thwarted by American individualism, distrust of government power, the checks and balances of the political system, and, every so often, good judgment in Washington.

Presidents have a right to certain prerogatives, including the expectation of a certain deference. He’s the president, this is history. But we seem to have come a long way since Ronald Reagan was regularly barked at by Sam Donaldson, almost literally, and the president shrugged it off. The president—every president—works for us. We don’t work for him. We sometimes lose track of this, or rather get the balance wrong. Respect is due and must be palpable, but now and then you have to press, to either force them to be forthcoming or force them to reveal that they won’t be. Either way it’s revealing.

And why do we have to pay for bread at all? We need basic foods to survive, far more urgently than we need health insurance. Maybe it would be better if the government took over the bread industry. Think of all the money wasted on packaging and advertising, which could be saved if the State distributed Obama Bread in plain white wrappers that said RYE or WHEAT in simple block lettering. Our wise politicians could then decide if all those different varieties of bread are truly necessary.

If you have studied the history of socialism and communism around the world, you know what the inevitable results of a nationalized bread industry would be: hungry people staring at dusty shelves containing a few expensive loaves of low-quality bread. Humanity has invented few weapons that kill people more efficiently than collectivist agriculture.

‘Obamacare’ health care reform (see contract rules) to become law before midnight ET 30 Jun 2010

Via Instapundit.

See below a video compendium of Barack Obama consistently expressing a belief that significant legislation, including healthcare reform, should not be passed with a “fifty-plus-one” strategy.

I wonder how much longer clear instances of hypocrisy like this– repeated, video-captured self-contradiction– will continue to surprise us. It seems to happen all the time– tactics that you previously condemned as overreaching and dangerous become perfectly palatable once your team wins the majority.

UPDATE: Gateway Pundit has more.

That line is moving faster than mine. Segregation!

The whole “everything is racist” thing was beginning to lose some steam. Then, today, Senator Tom Harkin gave us all a wonderful gift– the evocation of segregation to decry the variable treatment of different health risks by insurance companies!

I didn’t have any idea how bad the problem was until I started thinking through a typical day…

• McDonald’s wouldn’t serve me an Egg McMuffin at 10:45 this morning because I arrived too late for their breakfast menu. Segregation!
• AT&T customer service made me wait longer than the people who had called in before me. Segregation!
• General Electric would not negotiate with me for the purchase of an aircraft engine, citing the fact that I don’t in any way intend to use it, nor am I wearing pants. Segregation!

One more thing. Don’t bother accusing me of trivializing segregation. Tom Harkin already did that much more effectively than our feckless snark ever could.

You may recall the “Track Meet” video that MoveOn.org produced back in October advocating the public option and starring Heather Graham.

Well, it’s been a few months now with little progress and “Roller Girl” has just about had it with those of you who aren’t on board with the public option.

Thanks for the link, Sharp Elbows!

A mere three days before President Obama’s supposedly bipartisan health-care summit, the White House yesterday released a new blueprint that Democrats say they will ram through Congress with or without Republican support. So after election defeats in Virginia, New Jersey and even Massachusetts, and amid overwhelming public opposition, Democrats have decided to give the voters what they don’t want anyway.