Rattle wrote:

President Bush would like to see some form of universal health coverage for all Americans before leaving office next year, a Cabinet official said Monday.

But, Mr. Leavitt said, the president would "like to see the larger debate begin" regarding health care - an emerging issue in the next election.

"The very best opportunity we have may well be in the next 15 months," he said.

Mr. Bush's intentions come on the heels of a universal health care plan offered Monday by Democratic presidential contender Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York.

Are they completely delusional at the White House? If universal health care is something the Bush administration truly cares about, they missed the ball. There is zero chance of them making it a reality in 15 months.

This IS odd. Leavitt was attributed but not directly quoted. Possibilities:

1. Leavitt did not actually say that.
2. If you are going to veto money for sick children, you better overshadow it with something, or its drop dead easy for people to paint you as a bastard. They aren't serious.
3. Republican negotiators believe that the Democrats will have complete control of the government after '08 and feel the time is now to get this done when they are in a position to veto it rather than in 3 years when they have no influence over the situation.
4. Just like the immigration plan, the Bush administration actually sees this as the right answer, and also thinks it is political suicide in America regardless of which party does it, mostly because Rush Limbaugh has too much influence. Seeing as his popularity is in the hole he is willing to take this bullet too. Better to fix this now than in 6 or more years.

I'm actually leaning toward 4 unless this completely falls off the radar screen. The problem is that much like the immigration issue the people have been so brainwashed with bullshit that they will see this move as completely insane. They won't understand how to fit it into the framework the pundits have constructed for them and their will react very negatively toward it as a result.

The basic problem that our government faces today is that the people with numbers who are actually thinking about how to solve problems have been completely overshadowed in the public mind by people whose primary goal is to be entertaining.