The Daily Background

After Republicans tried to introduce a resolution to censure Democratic Congressman Pete Stark (CA) for his comments last week, which Republicans said “hurt the troops,” Stark apologized:

I think Stark probably came under a lot of pressure from Democratic leadership to apologize, since he was in danger of becoming more of a story than the real story– Bush vetoing health care for poor sick children paid for by a modest increase in the cigarette tax and demanding billions more for the war in Iraq. Honestly, I wouldn’t have put what Stark said in the first place in the words he put it in, but pressure and phony GOP outrage notwithstanding, I don’t think I would have apologized.

If there’s anything to be outraged about, it’s the fact that this Administration thinks that financing this immoral war in Iraq is more important than providing health care for poor sick kids– and it’s not even an either or– they just won’t finance SCHIP to the extent that outside experts (and 81% of Americans) say is needed.

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