Who's Fault Is It Anyway? Does It Really Matter?

In typical form, Congressman Joe Wilson is pointing the finger directly at Barack Obama for the lack of adequate Swine Flu vaccination.

Wilson responded that not only should Obama halt any plans to donate portions of America’s vaccine supply, he should also be held accountable for the government’s lack of preparedness.

“Our first duty is to the United States,” Wilson said. “It’s my concern that actually the H1N1 [virus] was determined to be a threat to the United States – because of what occurred in Mexico – in March.”

As for the vaccine shortage, “This is during the term of the President [Obama], and I believe the president should be held responsible that the government was not prepared, and we have millions of Americans who are at risk today,” said Wilson.

However, the reality of the problem lies in two specific areas. First, the lack of enough reagents at vaccine manufacturers. These chemicals can be used to determine how high or low of a yield you have for your final product. Secondly, there were machine glitches that caused a bottle-neck effect during the packaging process. The CDC and manufacturers have been working on these issues since mid-October.

The speed with which this particular strain of flu virus speed was handled as best as it could have been, aside from a mass quarantine all around the country. Basic preparedness was implemented and the CDC got to work on the vaccines. It was the manufacturers NOT the administration that caused the shortage.

Wilson's rationale is poorly conceived and easily debunked.

And though he speaks of this instance happening during Obama's term, it should be noted that Bush didn't exactly have a sterling reputation when it came to Avian Flu and the preparedness that Congressman Wilson is speaking of. And budget cuts within the public-health sector, as well job loses, have certainly played their part in this as well.

Hey Congressman Wilson, then these cuts and layoff started happening, it was 2008. Who was it that was President back then?

Do Members Of Congress Even Remember What They Voted On?

While this is a brief primer on Congressman Joe Wilson, it is also a rather interesting perspective on all members of Congress. The quesiton is, do they not only remember what they voted on, but do they even care?

in 2003, Wilson voted to provide federal funds for illegal immigrants’ healthcare. The vote came on the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003, which contained Sec. 1011 authorizing $250,000 annually between 2003 and 2008 for government reimbursements to hospitals who provide treatment for uninsured illegal immigrants. The program has been extended through 2009 and there is currently a bipartisan bill in Congress to make it permanent.

While Wilson's childish outburst is becoming even more pathetically false as each day passes, the fact that Congress is actually given credance to his distortions is shaping up to be more troubling. But that aside, one has to question whether these conservatives that are clamouring for people to "read the bill" ever even read what they had passed before.

I'm sure that it is difficult for every member of Congress to recall every single vote, but it shouldn't be that hard for someone like Wilson - how is apparently quite passionate about this particular point - to remember something like providing money to illegal immigrants for healthcare on a bill that was passed just around 6 years ago.

Some Thoughts For Your Day

- Rather than sit at home watching the endless loops of the planes hitting the WTC towers, why don't you engage your community by volunteering.

- So, John Stossel goes to Fox. Like we are shocked. Perhaps they thought that Geraldo's mustache needed an opening act.

- Congressman Wilson is getting some interesting covering fire from Fox"News" ( again, I know you're shocked ) but also by Pat Buchanan over at MSNBC. This morning, he claimed that Wilson has been donated more money than his opponent since the airing of his "I'm Sorry, Now Give Me Cash" commercial.

- What is the 9/12 Project about anyway? It's been touted as another in the long line of pointless "tea parties", so what does that have to do with the day after 9/11?

- If conservatives are so up in arms over Obama's "Czars", then why aren't they decrying O'Reilly's very public statements that the Bush administration should have had more "czars"?

Looks Like Wilson Is The Liar

I really haven't had the chance to watch Morning Meeting on MSNBC, but occassionaly catch some clips online. This one is particularly enjoyable, as Dylan Ratigan does a little fact-checking of Congressman Wilson's temper-tantrum.

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Eric Boehlert at Media Matters gets into this a little more:

What's been completely glossed over by the press is the fact that the "You Lie!" was itself built upon a lie. That the rude outburst was yet more GOP misinformation. Instead, too many in the press treat the exchange as a he said/he said. i.e. Obama claimed illegal immigrants won't be covered, and Wilson called him a liar. What are the facts? Which man was telling the truth? The press won't say.

And while the conservative Right is hailing Wilson as a hero on par with some kid from Jersey that punched a Nazi in the face on Omaha Beach on D-Day, the rest of the country is more interested in what is actually in the proposed legislation.

On an interesting side-note, while Limbaugh has come out completely against Wilson's apology to the White House ( and you thought he wouldn't be? ) I'm wondering how long it's going to take Wilson to apologize to Limbaugh for apologizing?

Some Thoughts For Your Morning

- Ever notice that conservatives excuse bad behavior by claiming others have done it before, so that makes their idiocy alright? So is it not a suprise that when Congressman Wilson shouted that Obama was a "liar" that the Right ran to dig up a video from 2005 where there were Democrats ( can they prove it was only Democrats? )mumbling in disapproval of Bush's attempt to convince Congress to overhaul Social Security.

- Be fully prepared for more "be very afraid, we're all about to die" nonsense from conservatives tomorrow. They talk about the nation coming together in remembrance, but have serious problems with Obama's idea of a national day of service on Sept. 11th. Isn't the idea of honoring the memories of the dead a coming together of America to serve in any way you can?