Peas in a Pod

Ah, success. It breathes a sweetness that is borne not in and of itself, but rather from victory over an odious opposition. Simply put, American glory has always been remarkable because of the defeat of a clear-cut enemy - and the traitors in our midst.

Heroes need villains; always have, always will. Benedict Arnold worked hard to thwart the Revolution. The Rosenbergs delivered The Bomb to the Russians. Today, we have Joe Lieberman, who says he wants to derail health care reform.

"I can't see a way in which I can vote for cloture on any bill that contained a creation of a government-operated and run insurance company," he said, getting in the way of the very thing that Americans want and need in the face of a bloodthirsty insurance industry. Of course, that's who has always supported his political career, to the tune of millions of dollars in campaign contributions.

Without any Party affiliation (Connecticut Democrats rejected him in his last primary race only to see conservative voters push him back into office as an "Independent"), he represents only those bloated corporate interests. As such, his Senate colleagues can feel free to strip him of everything, including the key to the bathroom - to figuratively do him like some poor turkey in the background of a Sarah Palin interview.

To put this in alarmist right-wing terminology, Joe Lieberman is a danger and a threat to the public. His obstructionist stance is terrifying, as it will leave millions of people at risk of suffering and dying in this nation. We would all be better off were he to somehow wake up and fall into his coffin tomorrow morning.

He's almost as disturbed (and disturbing) as the man he endorsed in the 2008 election, my senator, John McCain. After all, Lieberman's just doing what he's done for four terms - whoring out his vote for cash. McCain's stance, however, is more predictable, since he is a Republican.

It is also far more hypocritical, since John McCain has received nothing but government health care since before he was born. The same goes for his kids. Today, he is insulated by three layers of taxpayer-provided subsidies.

As a Senator, he enjoys blue-chip coverage, the likes of which the average American could never afford. He's also eligible for Veterans Administration benefits. To top it all off, he's a senior citizen, so he qualifies for Medicare. It's a good thing he's so well insured, because he is truly a sick individual.

Of course, since he had the courage and convictions to dump his first wife in favor of a rich broad, he doesn't really need any of that. He could just pay out of pocket for his health care, the way 47 million Americans have to do every year, which he thinks is just fine - for them.

For John McCain to oppose meaninful health care reform, to block relief to the public which has always taken such good care of him, is an obscenity that borders on treachery. He and Joe Lieberman are peas in a pod, all right, a regular Aldrich and Alger comedy duo.

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