Not Telling The Truth

"Let me also say that -- let me also address an illegitimate concern that's being put forward by those who are claiming that a public option is somehow a Trojan horse for a single-payer system. I'll be honest; there are countries where a single-payer system works pretty well. But I believe ... that it's important for our reform efforts to build on our traditions here in the United States. So when you hear the naysayers claim that I'm trying to bring about government-run health care, know this: They're not telling the truth." --Barack Obama

Yup, and remember when those baseball players were convinced to take steroid/drug tests "just to see how bad the problem is" by telling them that the results would never be released such that a player could be identified?

Let's also look at some typical Obama semantic posturing here. First, the statement:

"I believe ... that it's important for our reform efforts to build on our traditions here in the United States."

We are to assume by implication that he means a competetive system. But he didn't actually say that. He didn't actually specify anything. He could be talking about progressive traditions. New Deal traditions. Whose traditions? Wiggle, wiggle.

And then the next line:

So when you hear the naysayers claim that I'm trying to bring about government-run health care, know this: They're not telling the truth.

Well maybe you are, maybe you aren't. Extending the benefit of the doubt, no, maybe you're not trying to bring about government run health care, so when people say that without any evidence to the contrary, perhaps they're not telling the truth.

However, it doesn't make arguments that government-run health care will nonetheless be the effect, the end-result... invalid.