A selection of today's opinions and editorials

Nov 19 2009

The Breast Brouhaha The New York Times
Everyone has been trying to come up with a good nickname for the 10 years we're concluding next month. Terror Era really sounds like too much of a downer. How about the Decade of Medical Backtracking? Somewhere between the reports that Pap smears and tests for prostate cancer aren't all they were cracked up to be and the news that a high fiber diet doesn't do anything to prevent cancer, the health establishment began looking decidedly nonomniscient. Then this week, a federal task force reported that most women don't need annual mammograms (Gail Collins, 11/18).

Health Care Reform - A Republican View The New England Journal Of Medicine
Everyone agrees that something has to be done. But the reform proposals pending in Congress would make a bad situation worse. These bills would cause us to slide rapidly down the slippery slope toward increasing government control of health care (Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, 11/18).

Unlawful Health Reform? The Washington Post
But does not federal law trump state laws? Not necessarily (George F. Will, 11/19).

Abortion Is Not The Only Moral Issue Newsweek
Our entire health-care system is filled with complex moral choices. We shouldn't make our health-care debate about just one (Lisa Miller, 11/18).

The Senate's Health Care Calculations The New York Times
When it comes to politics, "ObamaCare" could hardly be more apt: lawmakers' support for or opposition to reform generally has less to do with the views of their constituents and more to do with the issue of presidential popularity (Andrew Gelman, Nate Silver and Daniel Lee, 11/18).

The Hatred Of Health Care The Arkansas Times
If you have spent an hour in front of a television the last month you know how encompassing and ruthless the health-care reform debate has become (Ernest Dumas, 11/19).

The GOP's No-Exit Strategy The Washington Post
Normal human beings -- let's call them real Americans -- cannot understand why, 10 months after President Obama's inauguration, Congress is still tied down in a procedural torture chamber trying to pass the health-care bill Obama promised in his campaign (E.J. Dionne Jr., 11/19).

The Wrong Side Of History The New York Times
This year, the fate of health care will come down to a handful of members of Congress, including Senators Joe Lieberman, Blanche Lincoln, Ben Nelson and Mary Landrieu. If they flinch and health reform fails, they'll be letting down their country at a crucial juncture. They'll be on the wrong side of history (Nicholas D. Kristof, 11/18).