A tale of two Republican sentators (on health-care reform and those "death panels")

By Michael J.W. Stickings

1) Charles Grassley (Iowa): "In the House bill, there is counseling for end of life. You have every right to fear. You shouldn't have counseling at the end of life, you should have done that 20 years before. Should not have a government run plan to decide when to pull the plug on grandma."

NOTE: There is no such euthanasia provision in the proposed legislation. Grassley is fearmongering. He is lying. He is doing what many of his fellow reform opponents are doing. It is shameful, if also predictable.

2) Lisa Murkowski (Alaska): "It does us no good to incite fear in people by saying that there's these end-of-life provisions, these death panels. Quite honestly, I'm so offended at that terminology because it absolutely isn't (in the bill). There is no reason to gin up fear in the American public by saying things that are not included in the bill."

NOTE: Murkowski is absolutely right. She's being sensible and responsible. Which is to say, she's being rather un-Republican. I understand that most Republicans want reform to fail, but should they not at least argue on the merits of the issue? They should, but they don't -- and Murkowski should be applauded for coming out publicly against the lies and the fearmongering.

NOTE 2: In so doing, Murkowski distinguishes herself clearly from that more famous -- and more extremist -- Alaska Republican, Sarah Palin, who is partly (if not mostly) responsible for the current right-wing "death panel" craze.