© The New York Times, September 30, 2009, by Steven Lee Meyers, here, image of map of Iraq from StockXpert, photo of soldiers from Flickr, U.S.Army.mil, excerpt quoted verbatim:

“DHULUIYA, Iraq — Iraqi politics has a new catch phrase, the ‘yes we can’ of the country’s coming parliamentary elections. It is ‘national unity,’ and while skepticism abounds, it could well signal the decline of the religious and sectarian parties that have fractured Iraq since 2003.

“Across the political spectrum — Sunni and Shiite, secular and Islamic — party leaders have jettisoned explicit appeals to their traditional followers and are now scrambling to reach across ethnic or sectarian lines. In some cases, the shift is nothing less than extraordinary.

“Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, a conservative Shiite whose party has deep Islamic roots, has enlisted support from Sunni tribal leaders in areas that once were — and might again be — the heartland of opposition to the central government.

“Here in Dhuluiya, a lush town nestled in a bend of the Tigris River, a fiery Sunni cleric who waged war against American and Iraqi forces, openly courts an alliance with Mr. Maliki, saying that the time of religious parties in Iraq has passed. The cleric, Mullah Nadhim Khalil al-Jubori, said Iraq’s future now rested with secular political parties.

“‘It would be ironic,’ he said of his own evolution in an interview at his home, ‘if it were somewhere other than Iraq.’

“With the elections only four months away, the emergence of national unity as a theme has been welcomed by Iraqis and by American officials, who fear that identity politics in Iraq will only worsen tensions and risk a return to sectarian bloodshed.

“Some go so far as say the elections could reinforce a greater sense of Iraqi citizenship and nationalism out of the chaos of the war.

“‘I do believe that there is genuine opportunity for restoring our coexistence, our historical coexistence,’ said Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi, who broke with the main Sunni party, the Iraqi Islamic Party, this year. ‘I mean, in the past, we used to live together here. What we need, in fact, is real and genuine reconciliation.’

“Such appeals stem from pragmatism, perhaps as much as conviction, which is why many people view the apparent transformations of some parties cynically. Even as Iraq’s political leaders all pledge national unity, Parliament remains so paralyzed by infighting that lawmakers are unable to pass any significant legislation, including the very bill required to hold the next elections, scheduled for Jan. 16.

“Even so, party leaders agree that something fundamental is changing in the mood of Iraqi voters.” ….

Read the full story, here.

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Daily Kos, September 29, 2009, by Ozzie, here, quoted verbatim: “That man would be Dr. Quentin Young. “He’s a Chicago icon, National Coordinator of Physicians for a National Health Program. “He brought the Mad as Hell Doctors on stage at their Saturday appearance. “I spent many years performing, and this is, without a doubt, one of the best delivered lines I’ve witnessed. “Take a quick look, especially in light of today’s events… “Dr. Young practiced medicine in Chicago’s Hyde Park community for over 60 years. “He is clinical professor of preventive medicine and community health at the University of Illinois Medical Center. “He’s been a leader in public health policy and medical and social justice issues. “He served as Dr. Martin Luther King’s physician when Dr. King was in Chicago. “If you freeze this video at :35, you can see Quentin standing next to him. “He served as personal physician for Studs Terkel, Mike Royko, and thousands of other grateful Chicagoans. “He was speaking at the Mad as Hell Doctors Chicago stop, (they are PNHP members) and was recounting the events of the last six months. “The line happens early on (about 1:16), the rest is pretty damn engaging too. It’s all a good a dose of humanity for today. “And remember, as Spock once said, there are always alternatives.” ***** “IMP UPDATE FROM MAVIS:”

Mad as Hell Doctors Are arriving in Washington DC tomorrow. Send them lots of encouragement and well wishes. They are fighting for the health all of us. And if you have time call the President (202-456-1111) and ask him to meet with them. President Obama turned down the Doc’s request for a meeting.

Email Ozzie, here. Fantastic Prices on GOOD Glasses .

Robert Reich’s Blog, September 28, 2009, by Robert Reich, here, large excerpt quoted verbatim, used with permission:

“Background: Every dollar squeezed out of Big Pharma and Big Insurance is a dollar less that you’ll have to pay either in healthcare costs or in taxes to cover healthcare costs. The two most direct ways to squeeze future profits are allowing Medicare to use its huge bargaining leverage to negotiate lower drug prices, and creating a public insurance option to compete with private insurers and also use its bargaining clout to get lower prices and thereby push private insurers to offer lower rates.

Professor Robert Reich

“But last January, the White House made a Faustian bargain with Big Pharma and Big Insurance, essentially scuttling both of these profit-squeezing mechanisms in return for these industries’ agreement not to oppose healthcare legislation with platoons of lobbyists and millions of dollars of TV ads, and Pharma’s willingness to cut drug prices by some $80 billion over the next ten years. The White House promised these industries they’d come out way ahead — getting tens of millions of new customers who’d be buying private health insurance policies and thereby paying for an almost endless supply of new drugs. Healthcare reform would be, in short, a bonanza.

“Big Pharma and Big Insurance have so far delivered on their side of the deal. In fact, Big Pharma has shelled out $120 million in advertisements in favor of reform. Now the White House is delivering on its side.

“Last Thursday, for example, the Senate Finance Committee rejected Ben Nelson’s amendment to require Big Pharma to give some $160 billion in discounts to Medicare — thereby reducing the bonanza Pharma would reap from the healthcare bill. Not surprisingly, all Republicans voted against the amendment. But it was defeated only because Dems Baucus, Carper, and Menendez voted with the Republicans.

“Carper later explained to the New York Times why he voted with the Republicans. The amendment, he said, would “undermine our ability to pass” health care reform, because the White House had made a deal with Big Pharma by which the industry wouldn’t oppose healthcare reform — and White House officials had told him “a deal is a deal.” The Times described the vote as a “big victory” for the White House.

“Schumer voted for the amendment. He said he was “not at the table” when the White House and Big Pharma made their deal so didn’t feel bound by it. But even if he had been at the table, he wouldn’t be bound. No member of the Senate is bound to a deal made between industry and the White House. Congress is a separate branch of government.

“Big Pharma and big insurance hate the public insurance option even more than they hate big Medicare discounts. And although the President has sounded as if he would welcome it, political operatives in the White House have quietly reassured the industries that it won’t be included in the final bill. At most, the bill would allow the formation of non-profit “cooperatives” that wouldn’t have the scale or authority to squeeze the profits of private industry, or a “trigger” that would allow states to form public insurance options eventually if certain goals for cost savings and coverage weren’t met.

“But the public option lives on, nonetheless. It’s still in the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pension bill. It still headlines the House bills, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she’s still committed to it. The latest Times/CBS poll shows 65 percent of the public in favor of it.” ….

Read the full article, here.

*****

Robert Reich was the nation’s 22nd Secretary of Labor under Bill Clinton and is Professor of Public Policy at the Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California at Berkeley. He has served in three national administrations. In 2008, Time Magazine named him one of the Ten Most Successful Cabinet Members of the century. He has written eleven books, including “The Work of Nations,” which has been translated into 22 languages. His latest book is “Supercapitalism.” For Professor Reich’s book page with links to his books at Amazon, go here. The above article is from his personal journal (Reich’s blog) and can be viewed here.

Thanks to Professor Reich for permission to publish this large excerpt from his fine article.

The Huffington Post, September 29, 2009, by Ryan Grim, large excerpt quoted verbatim:

“A coalition of Republicans and Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee joined together Tuesday to defeat a public health insurance option.

“Five Democrats joined with all the Republicans on the committee to reject an amendment by Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) in a 15-8 vote.

“Three Democrats then joined the Republicans to defeat a second public-option proposal. By a vote of 13-10, the committee rejected an amendment by Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.).

“Schumer, however, said the debate is far from over. He acknowledged during the debate that the public option doesn’t yet have the 60 votes on the Senate floor it needs to overcome a filibuster, but he emphasized to Huffington Post outside the hearing room: “Yet. I said ‘yet.’”

“Schumer’s public option was considered a more moderate proposal than one offered earlier by Rockefeller, which was tied to Medicare rates.

“Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.), Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) and Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) opposed the Schumer amendment. Baucus said he did so because he didn’t think it could garner 60 votes on the floor and his highest priority is to pass a bill.

“Sens. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) and Tom Carper (D-Del.) voted for the Schumer amendment, but joined Baucus, Conrad and Lincoln in opposing the Rockefeller amendment.” ….

Read the full story, here. Email Ryan Grim, here.

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