Look out for the Bull

By Keith R. Schmitz

Cruising through the hills and valleys of New England this afternoon, when I am stuck with a rental with no satellite radio boredom forces me to punch through the dial. So I happened to stumble upon former CNN anchor Lou Dobbs hosting his own call in show.

After apparently done with the major league dissembling of his guest, GOP attack puppy Ron Christie, Lou's first caller got on from Texas and started talking about how he was happy health care reform passed, because it would protect kids with pre-existing conditions from succumbing to life-threatening medical condition from lack of treatment. The caller cited the case of a little girl in Houston who was denied coverage and died of a heart condition.

That lit the Dobbster's fuse. He could have attacked the notion that the child was actually done in by actuaries. But why tacitly admit that health insurance engage in this practice when he can really be bold.

"That is total BS," he thundered. "There is nothing in the health care bill that bans pre-existing conditions because I've read the bill."

Um, maybe not close enough Lou, because the administration is already fighting the insurance companies' search for loopholes on this count.

Is he lying or mistaken? We don't know. But we do know that this sloppy use of the facts made the passage of this bill so difficult and still has many against the reforms. With these guys, everyday features the running of the bull.