Writing in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Cynthia Tucker is astonished that we can find money for a needless war but create excuses for not funding children’s health care: “Democrats in Congress want to expand the program to cover more children. They have proposed spending an additional $35 billion to $50 billion over the next five years. Bush, who wants to spend only about $5 billion more, has threatened to veto a substantial increase. He is annoyed that some states have provided the low-cost insurance to some children whose parents might be considered middle-class.

So what? The invasion of Iraq consumes between $8 billion and $10 billion a month; so far, we’ve spent about half a trillion dollars. It seems stingy and mean-spirited to nickel-and-dime the nation’s children over doctor’s visits. Is it so awful that parents making $60,000 a year might get low-cost health insurance for their children?

Fighting that just seems sicko.”

War Medicine