Beyond absurd on Capitol Hill

There is the Absurd. Then there is the Ultra Absurd. And Ultra seems to be flourishing right now on- oh my, what an astounding surprise--Capitol Hill.

Two-thirds of us across the land believe there should be a health care public option.

But Capitol Hill is echoing with strident Republicans and, yes indeed, some Democrats who are getting on the hoarse side with cries of "No" and "Socialism!" (You wonder if they are saving any of their voice to ever talk about the $915,159,472,142 our country has spent on wars since 2001, or the $228,034,100,801 spent so far just on the Iraq war.)

While the rest of the developed world, and especially our closest allies, have some form of universal health care, a tiresome gaggle of Senate and House naysayers continue to make fools of themselves trying to block a public option.

At the peak of their hypocrisy is the fact that they do not tear down Medicare. (For sure they dare not do so in a country where not even Mickey and Minnie Mouse would walk away from Medicare coverage.) Yesterday Senator Charles Grassley looked especially ridiculous in the Senate Finance Committee as he tried to rationalize his position for Medicare and against a public option.

I would love to know how many of the naysayers are owned by United Health Care and the rest of the health insurance industry. Such soul-selling is something even beyond Ultra Absurd.