One Wisconsin Now

On Sunday's This Week program, George Stephanopoulos asked John McCain, who wants to make health insurance benefits by workers part of their taxable income, the following question:

One of the points Mrs. Edwards made in the Wall Street Journal, she said that your whole life, you had government health care. You were the son of a Naval officer, a Naval officer, now a member of Congress. And her point is, why shouldn’t every American be able to get the kind of health care that members of Congress get or members of the military get?

McCain has been getting ink (finally) about his volatile temper and its relevence. He showed why some have concerns, when he fired quickly back:

It’s a cheap shot, but I did have a period of time where I didn’t have very good government health care. I had it from another government. 

Is this what we can expect? Everytime someone offers a criticism of McCain's policies, he will invoke his military service? Certainly, I nor no one with any sense, would question the bravery McCain showed under conditions most of us can't fathom.

But that service for our country 40 years ago does not excuse his unwillingness and obstinance regarding real health care reform. And it certainly doesn't get him slack for opposing any call to give all Americans the same health care benefits that we have been paying during his generation of membership in the U.S. Congress. 

John McCain doesn't have to worry about the skyrocketing costs of health care. Not only because he's gotten 26 years of coverage as a DC insider, but also because if he didn't have us paying his health care, his wife is a mega, mega-millionaire and they have nine homes.

Wealth is not really the issue. We have many, many wealthy people who have dedicated their lives to bringing comfort to those in need. But John McCain is clearly out of touch to real suffering Americans are facing, whether it's job loss, housing foreclosures and most assuredly, when it comes to access to affordable, quality health care for all.