More Bush lies

[chucK]

White allegedly purposefully withheld higher cost estimates for Medicare giveaway

 

"The government's top expert on Medicare costs was warned that he would be fired if he told key lawmakers about a series of Bush administration cost estimates that could have torpedoed congressional passage of the White House-backed Medicare prescription-drug plan."

 

 

"Cybele Bjorklund, the Democratic staff director for the House Ways and Means health subcommittee, which worked on the drug benefit, said Thomas Scully — then director of the Medicare office — told her he ordered Foster to withhold information and that Foster would be fired for insubordination if he disobeyed."

 

"Scully left the administration and in January took a job with Alston & Bird, an Atlanta-based law firm that represents numerous hospitals and health insurers. He was exploring jobs in the private sector while he was pushing for passage of the prescription-drug bill, thanks to a waiver from Thompson that allowed him to conduct job interviews while he was still a federal employee."

 

 

I am definitely biased to this whole thing, but this looks quite damning. And it's in the mainstream press too. I wonder if it's covered on FoxNews.com. Next stop...

[chucK]

Nope nothing on FoxNews yet...

 

But here's a couple of other stories

 

National Review Online cntrl F for "scully"

 

Forbes Online

 

 

Looks like FoxNews might be forced to cover it by tomorrow.

[Peter_Puget]

HOT DOG! Glad you're finally on the right side ChucK!

 

Much better links than NPR or the NYT.

 

PP

[chucK]

I figured you'd approve of those sources.

 

What do you think about the allegations of obvious Bush Administration deliberate lies of omission?

[Peter_Puget]

Bad and by the way creating future obligations such as this program is almost identical to raising taxes.

[scrambler]

Does this man's face sort of resemble Pat Robertson?

 

Edited March 13, 2004 by scrambler

[chucK]

From the Forbes link

"So, to review: Taxpayers are stuck with a program that costs 35 percent more than when their bamboozled representatives approved it last November. Top officials win golden parachutes stitched together by interests they have legislated and regulated. Trampled House voting practices, a federally funded TV deal for GOP political consultants, and a bribery probe all frost this ugly cake.

 

This is why movement conservatives are so grumpy. They are sick of knocking themselves out to promote limited government and fiscal prudence, only to watch their solemn beliefs burn to a crisp in the increasingly third-world crucible called Republican-controlled Washington."