Washington (CNN) – The Ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said Sunday that the Senate should set aside the impending debate on the health care reform bill and, instead, use the remainder of the year to focus on the appropriate strategy for the Afghanistan war, funding the war, and passing the appropriations bill necessary to keep the federal government running.
“I would just make this suggestion,” Republican Sen. Richard Lugar said Sunday on CNN’s State of the Union, “that in the three weeks of debate we still have ahead of us, we really ought to concentrate in the 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 appropriations bills in a proper way. . . . We may wish to discuss higher taxes to pay for [the war]. But we're not going to do that debating health care in the Senate for three weeks through all sorts of strategies and so forth.”
“The war is terribly important,” Lugar continued, “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 [aside] and talk now about the essentials: the war and money.”
Democratic Sen. Jack Reed, who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, disagreed with Lugar.
“Absolutely not,” Reed replied when asked by CNN Chief National Correspondent John King whether the Senate put off debate on the health care reform bill until 2010.
“I think we're in the midst of probably the most significant debate and conclusion with legislation that we've ever had,” Reed told King, “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 has become unaffordable. We have to go ahead and conclude this debate.
“To stop now would be stopping on the edge of, I think, significant reform, which is so important for the country. And frankly, it's ironic, there’s - 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. I think the president's speech [Tuesday about Afghanistan] will be appropriate. I think the strategy we'll analyze in the committees and I think we can go forward on both fronts and we have to.”
After months of deliberation, Obama is set to give a speech Tuesday evening that outlines his plans for the war in Afghanistan. Also this week, the full Senate is set to begin debate on a health care reform bill crafted by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who managed to garner just enough votes to get the bill to the floor.
From CNN Politics
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Hey Lugar –
Health care is more important to me that Afghanistan. Why don't you and you GOP cronnies start doing something that supports the American people. Stop trying to run from the issue you coward.
Of course he feels this way, he is a Republican.
No Education, Health, Energy or Infrastructure repair, but plenty of WAR, WAR and more WAR.
Republicans favor WAR over Health Care.
Big surprise here.....a Repub wants to ignore 40 million Americans without health insurance.
Sure, jobs, the economy and Afghanistan are important – and so is health care reform!
C'mon, Republicans, certainly you guys can handle more than one topic at a time – especially one that has been under consideration since January! You guys are paid big bucks and have tremendous responsibility to represent your constituents – DO YOUR FREAKIN' JOBS, FOR ONCE!
Please tax the GOP and then see how important the war is too them.
Of course they should.That way the republicans could harp and whine and pee and moan about it. AND wouldn't that be something to try to fault the Democrats on, with the 2010 elections. Republicans are boarding on criminal the way they are denying this country's citizens any type of respite from the mess bush put them in.
Hey Senator Luger, if we ignore health care then Americans may not find out that you guys have one of the best health care plans known to man. No waiting periods, no exclusions for pre-existing conditions, full health insurance for your self and your family for life when you retire. Hey, who would like to let that little secret out. Yeah, that's right. Let put it off for now, we have more important things to do. Yeah,Hope more Americans never know the truth about our plan, right socialism and all that. Whew, might have had to tell the truth if we kept talking about this health care thing.
The war is terribly important,” Lugar continued, If the war is so important to the GOP why don't they go to afghan and fight the war themself.
More typical Republican't talk! Yada, yada, yada....................
Why can't the GOP learn to walk and chew gum at the same time?
With all due respect Sen. Lugar the U.S. has waited decades to join the developed world in providing universal health. The unfortunate fact is that we cannot afford to fight wars and provide health care. For some reason, the U.S. feels driven to start a war ever 10 years with no regard for necessity or cost. We can afford never ending war but health care is not in the budget.
Lugar and the rest of the Senate and Congress are well taken care of medically. What, me worry? The hell with the rest of you!
you mean the past 70 years oh so wasn't enough. some of these people are so stupid.
Family's do not have enough money to put food on the table
and congress is talking about higher taxes to support the war?
I believe in our service men but you can't squeeze blood out of a turnip.
We the people can not afford to pay higher taxes at all period. You should be cutting taxes and support small business. There are NO JOBS!!!! Everyone should be ashamed of themselves our schools
are in dis-repair and the Teachers ae focused on being politcally correct. What has happened to some of our Teachers for example,
my grandaughter whom was in the 5th grade last yr. studied everynight for a week with her parents helping her and she still did not pass the test. Her teacher wrote on her test paper "I can see that you didn't study" He assumed didn't ask the right questions and berated her! Evidently this teacher's pay grade most be very low that is the only reason they hired him/her.. (They can't afford to pay for high level teachers in the South Euclid, OH area.
Stop with the TAXES...and Paying off Banks/Wall Street/ is anyone
in Washington capable of making a real honest Decision???
WHAT ABOUT" FOR THE PEOPLE"," BY THE PEOPLE"
OH! I get it whom ever puts money in your pocket you are for
Typical Republican thinking.
Yes, lets put off healthcare for another 40 years so we can keep the poor, poor, and the military industrial complex rich.
Congress and the President have wasted a year on this healthcare bill. If it passes it wont take affect till 2014 at the earliest yet the taxes are immediate. How about dealing with issues that need repair now like the economy and jobs. This healthcare bill will hamper both. Obama and the Democrats could have taken the reins for quite a while instead they will be voted out because they went for a socialized agenda instead of actually taking care of the immediate problems. I know, I know, Blame Bush. That excuse has run its course. You can blame him but when you do nothing to fix it you are as responsible if not more responsible. You know the problem but instead choose to ignore it and claim that the stimulus is working. Spin it however you want. The stimulus isn't helping with jobs even if you use their made up count.
Good thinking Senator Lugar, the war and our Military are at stake here and that needs to come first. Everyday our young men are dying and without some kind of help. If Obama would get on the ball and stop his dithering this could have already been done. If he had a son in the Military he would understand what is at stake here and hold off on Health Care, but in this case his wishes come first, he said he would get health care passed this year and he has to safe face, forget our Military. Shame on Obama.
The Bush administration turned its back on the war in Afghanistan and let it deteriorate under their watch and did absolutely nothing about helping millions of American people get affordable health care. It seems pretty hypocritical now that they have so many bright ideas and are so eager to criticize Pres. Obama who is at least attacking the issues in an intelligent manner. Instead of being the party of NO and constantly attacking everything he is trying to do, why don't they show that they can be team players and do what's best for the people and not worry so much about 2010 and 2012. Their true colours have been showing since Pres. Obama took office and should be a cause of concern for the electors.
let Obamacare swing in the breeze for a while and then die a natural death.....
Yes, because WAR is more important than the well-being of Americans. VILE REPUBLICAN MENTALITY AT ITS WORSE!
No , obama wants this , We need to spend money we don't have to get something we don't need , to give dems power forever. Oh and screw the middle class, cause thats who all this falls on . Thank you barry from me my childeren and their children and theirs .....
That's ridiculous. You don't put in this much work and come this far, only to give up and start over again!
The longer we wait to reform Health Care, the more Americans DIE or go bankrupt because of lack of insurance – people's lives and livelihoods are at stake!
Ooh how soon the repubs forget the 1930s economic crash and waited for the poor people to die out out for lack of proper health care. Since computer is our mind and soul now I wish somebody would figure out how many men,women and childern died durning that time peroid.
anything the republicans can dream up to slow down progress ...
when will they just even try to be part of the solution instead of being part of the problem.
No, we should not put off health care reform. It will then never pass
when dicky Lugar puts his personal health care on hold so shall we . but until he does then we won't .. simple logic.. AFGHANISTAN is a lawless land of drug barons and war lords . using this battle with radical idiots ,to profit and rape and pillage over there own people .
so Lugar needs to check his priorities . Bush cheney got us into this mess and this administration has the job to end the idiotic fighting in AFGHANISTAN and any other region that is in the same mess..
move out of the region and block the borders on every trail and road way . check points . to keep bombs and anything used to blow things up out and the drugs kept in the country . it wont take long for the warlords and thugs to fold and ask for help. no money no food means .they will stop .
that simple . with out all the arguing and debating all over the world from intellegant people with differant ideas on how to deal with AFGHANISTAN .or any other problem. that kilss people over stupid selfish greedy worthless bottom feeders .
Lugar and cohorts have no shame nor respect for the citizens of this country. Letting healthcare wait is another ploy to defeat the plan. Don't let them get away with it, Democrats.
Dicky Lugar you setting in your easy chair opening up your pie hole with the best Goverment Health Insurance telling the rest of the world they don't need Health care .
What you need is voted out of your easy chair .
If the Republicans have their way there never would be a right time for Health care debate, they were against Social Security, Medicare so why should Health care be any different. They are the party of NO, NO, NO help for the people, just let the big HMO's run Heath care and make sure they get their part of the profits.
Of course this is more important than keeping Americans healthy.What an irony! When will these war hawks go away?
And a few weeks later the Republicans would come up with another reason why to delay Health Care Reform. And then a few weeks after that, another reason for delay, and then another.
Delay, Distract, & Disparage. That's all Republicans know how to do.
Not surprised that you would be all for focusing on the war and it's budget as opposed to the health and welfare of the American people. Sure.....drop health care with the hopes of alleviating it completely and let's bomb bomb bomb another country! Evil warmongerers.
Typical Rupulican manuver,delay and it will go away.
Health care debates - continuous, nauseating "debates" are making people sick! All for what?
No wonder people are apathetic.
Lugar is finally making sense, why debate three weeks on a bill that is not going to pass. We need to focus on JOBS,JOBS,JOBS.
The GOP should just shut up!! They did not do anything for the American people – only for their own pockets. Those times are over! The president has a very good agenda for the country – and from the party of “NO” comes no input to make things better. Anybody who would think they know anything that will benefit the country needs their heads and hearts examined.
“The war is terribly important,” Lugar continued, “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 [aside] and talk now about the essentials: the war and money.”
You cons are funny, NOW is the time to worry about the wars you clowns started?? I do agree it is way past time to institute that "war tax" on each and every one us to help make up for the economic mess the shrub and the dick left this country in and kept off the books, because "deficits did not matter in time of war" about 5 trillion dollars worth of insignificance.
You want the "socialist' and his "socialism" ways to take over government and create jobs??
Now that it has been shown that Rumsfeld and Franks missed a chance to get bin Laden in 2001, guess that is why McCain said in the campaign he knew where bin Laden was. Too bad the republiklans missed THEIR chance to catch him like they all like to blame Clinton.
That whole "he kept us safe for 7 years" mantra is now off the table.
The only thing transparent about you "christian" cons and republiklans, is your lies and hypocrisy!
And still this great country awaits for your apology!
Does Senator Lugar know reforming our health care has everything to do with the recovery of our economy? When people feel more hopeful about their future, they tend to open their wallet more often. When small businesses can afford health care benefits, the optimism spreads out like fire through the veins of our nation.
Health Care Reform = Economic Recovery
Public Option = enlarge our Middle Class = Strengthen our Democracy
Senator Lugar needs to listen to Senator Reed's and my "Absolutely not!" Thanks!
10.2% UNEMPLOYMENT, Trillions upon Trillions in corrupt spending and debt, and Obama and the Democrats want to pass another corrupt bill that will drive us trillions and trillions more into debt. Its crazy! This madness should be shelved until the economy is more stable and millions of people are back at work. Obama and the Democrats are destroying our economy!
How much money does he get from insurance or health care companies?
We can't do more than one thing at a time?
America won two world wars. We can do anything IF WE WORK TOGETHER AND STOP ALL THIS HATRED.
Amen to that Luger; couldn't have said it better myself. Another trillion dollar program is the last thing this country needs now even though we do need health care reform not health care takeover.
Many of us do not agree with Lugar. Both the war and health care reform are critical issues
It sounds like Sen. Lugar, after his many years in the Senate, still can't figure out how to walk and chew gum. Is this just another false either-or choice from the Republicans, or are they really so limited they can't figure out how to more than one or two things at a time?
Of course.... find any issue to derail a drastically-needed reform of our health care system. He can, of course, wait till hell freezes over for the reform since he the very best health insurance in the world (while tens of thousands of Americans have NONE). Yeah, Lugar. You have the best interest of Americans in mind. Right. Sure you do....
Great. Line the defence contractors and arms manufacturers pockets in pursuit of a fool's errand six thousand miles from home instead of taking care of Americans who are in great need. I really thought Obama would end this immoral BS and I am astonished that he is prepared to basically seal his fate as a one-term president to appease his generals. Change you can believe in – sorry, not any more – unless he brings back the draft and introduces a war tax – otherwise, whats 's new about this?
Did anyone take a look at Lugar? He looks like another old white haired angry Republican geezer. Haven't we listened to enough rehashing of the old failed Republican policies of the past?
What is wrong with these people?????
The majority of Americans want this health care done NOW and consider it more important than the war in Afghanistan, which was put aside by Bush for years!!
How ironic that leading republicans want to again put off the debate on Health Care for another 75 years or so while we concentrate on a war that they fumbled so badly.
With a membership of around 20% or so, the republican party should not even be given news headlines.
Yeah.........Let's put off anything important to society as a whole indefinitely and focus our time and energy on the only thing the Republicans really care about........WAR AND MONEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Isn't that pretty much what they've been doing since 1994 when they gained control of both houses of Congress?
as in every year, the thugs keep wanting to stop the passage of health care. healthcare is one of the leading causes of bankruptcy and it is crippling our economy. it is a shame that people do not realize the impact of healthcare on the economy. it has become unaffordable. Instead of the thugs recommending suggestions to improve the system, they ignore it. ignoring the situation is not going to make the problem go away.
Well, Republicans have always preferred war to doing anything to actually help the American people, so this is not a surprise to hear. Thank goodness we have a few politicians – none of them Republicans apparently – who are actually able to concentrate on more than one thing at a time.
The whiny desperation of the RePIGlicans grows ever louder as they realize they are going to lose in their efforts to derail health care reform. The endless RePIGlican distractions and delays cannot stop the ever building moment to give each and every American decent, reliable and affordable health care. Not even the greedy, corrupt RePIGlicans can stop it this time.
Grasp at straws much, Senator Lugar?
Bring our troops home from Afghanistan and let those people fight for themselves, then there will be no need for HIGHER TAXES T0 FUND "THE WAR". It isn't a war anyway, it is a political ambition which is killing our troops both mentally and physically.
When a country goes to war, they need to go in, do whatever is necessay to get the job done (as in WWII) then come home. So if our troops are supposed to fight, then let them fight. Stop with this crap of putting our troops on trial for "slapping" a prisioner or for inadvertantly hurting a civilian. Civilians get hurt during a war. The only way around it is to put all Civilians in a safe "haven" for the duration of the war.
So either fight to win or go home....
Senator Lugar is exactly correct. It is obvious that the health care bills presented by both The House and The Senate are the last thing Americans need right now. Health care is expensive enough without getting the federal government involved with it. They have so many more appropriate things to take care of like National Defense, the economy which is on life support, homeland security, housing problems, education... the list goes on.
Certainly with all of these problems the Administration would rather have the nation focus on something else, but that debate has run its course and it turns out we do not want the type of programs they have ended up with. We can not afford them right now.
We need to END THE WARS and concentrate on keeping Americans healthy and alive!
I am 70 years old and we haven't WON a single war since WWII, if we even won that.
Let's start the draft again. That will end these Bush wars!
Why don't the Republicans just confess? They don't want, never have, and never will want any kind of health care reform unless it fills the pockets of their friends – the insurance companies. I get so sick of their 'let's start over and do it right' mentality. If they had wanted to do something, they have basically been in power for the most part in Congress since 1994 except for a couple of years. Didn't see them do anything then did you? Their hypocrisy is absolutely amazing and not just on this topic.
I have voted for republicans in the past but don't believe I ever will again.
Let's just sweep this healthcare issue under the rug, afterall, me and my family have great insurance!! Typical Republican for ya!
I wonder how much the LOBBIEST'S paid Mr. Lugar for this comment?
Republican Senator Lugar has his health inusrance.
Go figure....he has his heathcare insurance.
What a smug bug, he's got great healthcare coverage, that's all that's important to a Republican.
He's got healthcare......just put it off. That's an old, white-haired Republican for ya.
What hypocrisy - coming from a guy like Lugar who doesn't have to worry about paying for his gold-plated health care. Something tells me if did, then his sense of priorities would do a complete 180, don't you know.
Notice how Repubicans love to support any war effort, but refuse to focus on the everyday Americans here at home. Republicans need to be ousted....their worthless.
Keep pushing dem's. 2010 is coming soon and the "american" people will surely retire you alien losers. You have proven to be horrible for the economy and jobs. And guess what? You cannot seem to understand that we don't want more government... We want less and we will not be controlled by you. Your going to start a war right here in the states
Of course Senator Lugar thinks the debate on health care should be put off. Put it off until they can kill it, that is. Isn't that what Republicans have been trying to do for months now?
The way I see it, if we get health care reform and people see a benefit, it will destroy the Republican party. But if Republicans succeed in killing reform, they hurt the Democrats. This is insane. Who gets hurt in the end? We do, folks. Some of our elected representatives are playing politics with our lives, and this is ok with them. It's appalling.
The republicans make me sick!!! Anything to try to delay healthcare for millions for Americans.