Lugar: Let's Put Health Care On Hold To Deal With Afghanistan

One of President Barack Obama's closest Republican allies in the Senate urged him to put health care reform on the backburner and focus on Afghanistan.

Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.), a trusted GOP voice on foreign policy matters, told CNN's "State of the Union" that in light of a forthcoming increase in troops to Afghanistan, Democrats should turn their attention to matters of war and money.

"[W]e're not going to do that debating health care and the Senate for three weeks through all sorts of strategies and so forth," said the Indiana Republican. "The war is terribly important. Jobs and our economy are terribly important. So this may be an audacious suggestion, but I would suggest we put aside the health care debate until next year, the same way we put cap and trade and climate change and talk now about the essentials, the war and money."

The remark seemed to fit in well with an overarching Republican strategy of delaying health care reform talks. And Lugar received immediate pushback from his co-panelist, Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.).

"Absolutely not," said the Rhode Island Democrat. "I think we're in the midst of probably the most significant debate and conclusion with legislation that we've ever had. And the health care debate is essential to our economic future. There are businesses and individuals each year pay more and more for health care, it's become unaffordable. We have to go ahead and conclude this debate. To stop now would be stopping on the edge, I think, of significant reform, which is so important for the country. And frankly, I think, it's ironic. Under the Bush administration, there was no serious debate about Afghanistan. That was relegated to the sidelines. There was no attempt to pay for it. And suddenly, now, that becomes a critical need that we put aside health care. I don't think so. I think we have to push forward."

The two panelists did find some common ground on the question of whether the escalation of war in Afghanistan needed to be fully and properly funded. Both suggested that raising taxes on the American public should, at the very least, be considered.

"I believe there will be a separate accounting," Lugar said. "I think we will have to pay for it. I would just make this suggestion: that in the three weeks of debate we still have ahead of us, we really ought to concentrate in Congress on the war, on the overall strategy of our country and the cost of it. And we ought to be on the budget, passing appropriation bills in a proper way. In the course of that, we may wish to break out that. We may wish to discuss higher taxes to pay for it."

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Comments

[mamacat]

10:24 PM on 11/30/2009

If even a few Republicans were on the side of making things better for the lower and middle classes in this country, by cooperating with the Democrats over reforming the health care system, then it would be correct to take their advice on this matter seriously. However, when the GOP brags that every single one of their 40 Senators has already decided, ahead of time, to vote against anything and everything that may eventually come up for a vote on this matter, then I see no reason to pay anything they say the slightest bit of attention.
They are even worse than "The Party of No," they have become the Party of "Let's Make Things Even Worse Than They Already Are."

[Ashamed-in-Texas]

07:53 AM on 12/01/2009

Co-signed!

Fanned

[taddles]

09:25 PM on 11/30/2009

Sure, why not, the health care debate has only been pushed back for the past 60 years, what's a couple more gonna matter.

[gbee]

08:49 PM on 11/30/2009

Just what does he think can be accomplished on the morass of Afghanistan that delaying health care reform would enable? It's nonsensical on its face, and just another delaying tactic to enable the status quo here at home with endless and pointless "debate."

[dfranz]

06:04 PM on 11/30/2009

I think Lugar has something here.

Because as we know Bush had a difficult time chewing gum and walking at the same time and he's just trying to help the Prez out, being such an ally and all.

It's the Republican motto: If it doesn't involve oil or money or another war, it can always wait.

[mamacat]

10:39 PM on 11/30/2009

Republicans love to go to war - as long as they get to wave the flag while other people do the fighting, and as long as their taxes don't get raised to pay for it.

[zenaby56]

04:25 PM on 11/30/2009

I am all for a good debate about Afghanistan and I think it is time our Republican senators learned how to walk and chew gum. i think health care/insurance reform is critical to our economic security. Afghanistan is an important issue but does not merit priority status over the well being of the American people. republicans, stop trying to delay and obstruct. take this time to inform your insurance contributors that you just might have to take care of the American people instead of them for a change.

[goodog]

04:19 PM on 11/30/2009

"GOP Obama Ally: Let's Put Health Care On Hold To Deal With Afghanistan"

Coming from someone who voted to put Afganistan on hold to deal with Iraq, the idea looses it's charm.

[nwfurn]

03:00 PM on 11/30/2009

Once again, the Republicans tell americans their lives just don't matter. It is so much more important to make sure other nations are doing well stealing our money.

[Aerows]

02:06 PM on 11/30/2009

With our defense budget being so huge, why do we need a bigger one? I understand that we can't leave Afghanistan immediately, but why does the defense budget have to get bigger? Cut the contractors loose, and we will be able to fund the war.

[S1m0n]

04:19 PM on 11/30/2009

The contractors have to be funded via the state department, not the defense budget.

If they're paid by the army, they have to be classed as mercenaries and are subject to the UCMJ and the laws of war. If they're paid by State, they can be classed as security guards rather than mercenary soldiers, which enables them to be (as in Iraq and Afghanistan) subject to bilateral agreements made with a powerless local figurehead government. The deals in place makes them subject to no laws at all. International law closes this loophole for anyone employed by the miltary.

[Harpo1129]

12:50 PM on 11/30/2009

Delay health care reform huh? My mother in law had a heart attach in October and was in the hospital for 2 weeks. We got the bill the other day and the total was $ 351,000.00. That's Three Hundred and Fifty One THOUSAND Dollars. And this does not include the bill for the 4 weeks of rehabilitation that she had to go through. We're still waiting to see how much her Medicare is going to pick up. But by all means, lets postpone HCR.

[Elbrando]

12:41 PM on 11/30/2009

Wow delaying healthcare reform, is this a new republican't strategy? Here's an idea. If you and your colleagues hadn't been delaying helathcare reform so much maybe it would be finifshed by now and you could focus on other issues.

"PS "Just say NO" doesn't work for drugs, doesn't work in abstinence programs and doesn't work as a legislative lifestyle.

[mamacat]

10:30 PM on 11/30/2009

In the 1940s and the 1950s, there were Republicans who were in the vanguard of the effort to get universal healthcare implemented. Of course, today, after the party has been hijacked by the reactionaries of the far right, moderate and progressive Republicans have been labeled RINOs and are only allowed to stay in the GOP if they keep their mouths shut and vote the straight Party ticket.

[kgb999]

12:07 PM on 11/30/2009

We live in an upside down world where the Executive thinks it's supposed to produce legislation and the legislature thinks it's supposed to act as CIC.

How bout this: Congress, DO YOU &^%& JOB AND PASS HEALTH CARE REFORM ALREADY!!!!!!!

[johndab]

12:02 PM on 11/30/2009

SEN REED MAKES SENSE

HERE'S SOME STATS: COST OF AFGAN/IRAQI WARS SINCE 2002..............$937 BILLION! [7 YEARS]
DEATHS FROM AFGAN/IRAQI WARS SINCE 2002...4713

EST. COST OF HEALTH CARE REFORM..................$1.2 TRILLION[10 YEARS]
DEATHS DUE TO LACK OF HEALTH CARE SINCE 2002...315,000!!!!
THIS IS A NO BRAINER. SEN LUGER MAYBE YOU NEED HELP IN UNDERSTANDING THIS.
YOUR STATE, INDIANA, HAD MORE PEOPLE DIE BECAUSE OF LACK OF HEALTHCARE SINCE 2002 THAN THE ENTIRE LOSSES FROM THE WARS THAT YOU SUPPORT.

[alfo]

01:38 PM on 11/30/2009

THUS WE SEE OBAMA'S WEAKNESS,APPEASING THESE RIGHT WING COWARDS.

[OC4Obama4Pres]

11:26 AM on 11/30/2009

In a word, NO. Next.

[Mark Twaine]

10:37 AM on 11/30/2009

Senator Lugar's preference for money is showing

[WANSU]

10:37 AM on 11/30/2009

Health care bill is too hard..let us do it tomorrow, how about next month, how about next year, or how about after 2010 elections, or after 2012 elections, or after the wars are over, or after the economy picks up!, now is not the right time to pass HC bill!!!. For Republicans who will never support health care bill WHEN IS THE RIGHT TIME TO ADDRESS THE HEALTH CARE BILL IN THIS COUNTRY????????. It is funny..are these the same Republicans who did not vote for this bill to be brought to the floor for just mere debate last week???. Are they saying now if the HC bill is postponed they will consider voting for it in the future???????????...because now is the wrong time for HC bill!!!.

By the way if this bill is passed in the Senate and all Republicans votes against it..can some of them be selected to the conference merging the two bills together with the house bill..please, let me know how this works!!!!!