With a little help from some botox and a facelift or two, the Speaker of the House was able to keep a straight face while lying to a CNN reporter the other day.

Politicians of the world take note. I guess injecting your face with poison has a positive, unintended side effect.

Nancy Pelosi spoke with John King, national correspondent for CNN about nationalized health care and the new bill that she’s hoping to pass through Congress within the next few days (or “whenever” as she recently modified.) It was an interesting interview, to say the least.

When asked about private health insurance, Nancy assured Mr. King that this would not be an issue: “The president has said if you like the insurance — insurance that you have, you like your doctor, you can keep it.”

Well, Nancy, what happens when the private insurance companies can’t compete with the public health care option because the government option doesn’t need to make a profit? That will run the private insurance companies out of business, won’t it? Nancy’s answer? ” The president thinks this will keep private insurance companies honest.”

So that’s what you call running companies out of business?…..Honest?

Then Nancy was asked whether or not her new bill would include money to fund abortions. Nancy’s stone-face froze even more, if that’s possible. The smile got shaky and I think I saw her blink.

Finally she managed, “That’s not really the issue at hand, John.”

Did I miss something? When someone asks you a question, doesn’t that question become “the issue at hand?” Am I crazy to think that she should be required to answer a question that is important to many of the viewers of this program?

Obviously I am. No follow up.

John King then went on, asking about illegal immigrants and whether or not they would be included in this bill. Nancy began stuttering, asking him to repeat the question, which he did. She then uttered something incoherent, ending with the statement, “No, illegal immigrants are not included in this bill.”

Victory!! Should we start celebrating?

Not so fast. John followed up with another question, something we haven’t seen from a reporter since , oh let’s see, January 20th, 2009….

“You’re saying that illegal immigrants who walk into an emergency room will not be treated? Because I was just at a hospital where they have 6000 births a year and they tell me that 70% of them are from illegals.”

Nancy froze, smiled, and then sputtered something like, “Well, of course if you walk into an emergency room you will get the care you need. No one will be denied access to health care.”

Huh? So can illegals get care under this plan or not?

Wait a minute…now I understand. Illegals will not be part of this health care bill because they aren’t expected to PAY for any of it. They will not even have to pay the monthly fee expected by those of us who make over $88,000 per year. They will be able to collect the services, yet they will not participate in paying for the care, therefore, Democrats conclude that they are not included in this bill.

Brilliant.

This interview was posted on CNN’s website, with most of what I’ve written here edited out. They left a place for comments, something that allows us to get a bird’s eye view into the minds of people. One girl’s comment, in particular, left me shaking my head:

Katiec:
“Doctors, hospitals are notorious in giving tests, procedures to the elderly that will not help, cannot improve their lives, ONLY bring in more money for these leeches. Many elderly do not want their lives, suffering prolonged. To continue this injustice to them is inhumane. Families of these people need to realize what the health care industry is doing to them. We need to support, respect the wishes of those who have living wills. We do not need to let those who are only out for profits continue making victims of our elderly.”

Hmmm….. so it’s inhumane to continue to treat the elderly who have a living will? We’re not respecting the wishes of these people? Did we drag them into the doctor, strap them to a table, and force treatment upon them while they were screaming?

Didn’t their mothers ever teach them how to say “No”?

And this is all done so the doctors can get rich? We cram these elderly people into MRI machines, crunch their breasts into mammograms, invade their colons with probing scopes, all to make a few bucks?

I’d love Katiec to meet the “elderly” people that I know. My mother in law just had eye surgery at age 82 to save her eyes from the ramification of diabetes. She’s thrilled to have the option to keep her sight. I know many 80 year olds who are having hips and knees replaced so they can walk without a walker or cane. Open heart surgery is saving the lives of seniors around the country, as are advancements in drugs, chemo, and radiation.

Older people are excited to live, not to die, Katiec. And some of these people DO have living wills; they just don’t want to use them yet.

Pelosi is quickly approaching the cut-off age for health care, isn’t she? Oh wait, she’s a Senator, and able to get whatever health care she wants; she doesn’t have to abide by the public system she’s pushing on the rest of us.

Even her botox is probably covered. I’d suggest she go in for a little touch-up. During this interview, I thought I saw a small, worry line in her brow when John asked her if this bill would pass the House.

“If I take it to the House floor, it will win.”

Let’s hope, for our sake, it’s another lie.

lsm