Public Option Versus The Volcano

So what has ol' Johnny Volcano been up to since he was in Libya? Naturally, he's now demanding that the President drop the public option.

Sen. John McCain believes that President Barack Obama must drop his support for a public insurance option before Republicans will consider supporting reform.

“I believe that one of the fundamentals for any agreement would be that the president abandon the government option,” McCain told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos.

Asked by Stephanopoulos if he believed — as President Obama argued this week — that the Republicans are trying to stall any and all health reform in order to score a political victory, McCain responded: “I hope not.”

“I think that Republicans are more than agreeable to sit down and talk about various reforms,” he added.

He's lying, of course. It's getting bad enough that even the Village is having trouble covering for them now. Republicans have zero intention of passing any health care reforms. It's been patently obvious since January 20.

Of course, it doesn't stop McCain from defending Sister Sarah.

Asked about the president’s remark that McCain’s former running mate Sarah Palin’s “death panels” comment is an “extraordinary lie,” McCain argued that “the way that [that clause] was written made it a little ambiguous.”

“I don’t think that’s correct, senator,” Stephanopoulos shot back, saying that the bill provided for voluntary end-of-life counseling, for which doctors would be reimbursed; there would be no panels.

“There was a provision in the bill that talks about a board that would decide what are the most effective measures to provide health care for people, okay?” McCain responded testily. “So what does that lead to? Doesn’t that lead to a possibility of rationing?”

McCain is still unable to admit he's wrong, and when even George here gets tired of the lies and calls him out, he simply loses his temper. We almost ended up with this guy as President.

Still running the death panels lie. Still demanding that the President meet all his demands. That's "GOP negotiation in good faith" right there.

And yet Obama will still act like the Republicans are somehow serious partners for a legislative agenda they are committed to destroying at all costs.