About the Author
Richard Cochrane is trained in chemistry and metallurgy but is far more interested and practiced as a political and fund raising consultant, writer and amateur historian. He grew up in a Navy family and with his two younger brothers carried on its 500+ year tradition of naval service to Great Britain and the USA then enjoyed a career with one of the largest advertising and public relations agencies working with numerous Fortune 500 companies and many of America's premier educational institutions. He maintains friendships and acquaintanceships around the world. He lives in Santa Barbara, California.
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December 28th, 2009 •
Richard Cochrane
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The following has been checked out through http://www.snopes.com/ and also http://www.ask.com/, the story appeared in the Washington Times. Chew on this for a while..
“Look, it’s an all volunteer force,” Obama complained. “Nobody made these guys go to war. They had to have known and accepted the risks. Now they whine about bearing the costs of their choice? It doesn’t compute..” “I thought these were people who were proud to sacrifice for their country, “Obama continued. “I wasn’t asking for blood, just money. With the country facing the worst financial crisis in its history, I’d have thought that the patriotic thing to do would be to try to help reduce the nation’s deficit. I guess I underestimated the selfishness of some of my fellow Americans.”
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Obama’s statement was in response to an outcry to his proposal to order all veterans to buy health insurance to pay for treatment of their medical conditions incurred or resulting from their active duty.
Bad press, including major mockery of the plan by comedian Jon Stewart, led to President Obama abandoning his proposal to require veterans carry private health insurance to cover the estimated $540 million annual cost to the federal government of treatment for injuries to military personnel received during their tours on active duty. The President says he was “puzzled” by the magnitude of the opposition to his proposal.
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Comment by woodiej on 29 December 2009:
Many of us are “puzzled” by the magnitude of the gullibility of voting Americans, who, once again, fell for the “hope and change, vote for me and your troubles will be over” lies that got this inexperienced dilettante elected in the first place.
Comment by ted on 2 January 2010:
There can be no moral failure when there is no moral standard to meet.
It is not hypocrisy to strive for a goal and fail.
Those that call the conservatives “hypocrites” usually have a standard so low that no effort will ever be needed to achieve it,therefore no failure will ever happen and the hypocracy label will be avoided.
Good job!!!
Comment by Richard on 3 January 2010:
Woodiej and Ted:
Biting but, appropriate — thanks.
Comment by Anna Nutter on 6 January 2010:
I took the liberty of going and researching this myself and being that I am active duty in the Navy I found it important to put the real truth out there. This is not the case nor words intended in such a way. It was satire for a bill that had long been trashed. If you guys stopped reading BS propoganda that you want to be true and actually wrote or chose to read the truth you might not be suckered in so easily into something that is so obviously not something remotely true nor something anyone with any sense would ever say about the military.
Comment by Richard Cochrane on 7 January 2010:
Anna Nutter:
The details of your research would be interesting to know in-as-much as it appears to contradict so much slse.
Comment by David on 9 January 2010:
WASHINGTON (CNN) — Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki confirmed Tuesday that the Obama administration is considering a controversial plan to make veterans pay for treatment of service-related injuries with private insurance. March 2009
There’s all the research that is required. Eric Shinseki, appointed by Mr. Obama “CONFIRMED”
But the proposal would be “dead on arrival” if it’s sent to Congress, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Washington, said.
At least one or our elected official realizes the sheer stupidity of this line of thinking.
Comment by Richard on 10 January 2010:
David:
So the “real truth” is exactly as reported at Hypocrisy.com. Obama did / does support the idea exactly as reported.
While it should be DOA the idea of the IRS enforcing thepurchase of health insurance by all citizens was once considered “ipossible” too.
By the way that has the same effect doesn’t it?
Comment by Rhonda on 14 January 2010:
The beginning of this article it says that it was checked out through snopes.com, before you form your opinion on this you should click on the link to snopes.com and search it yourself. If you do, you will find that although Obama has made the proposal for military to carry private insurance, the statement that has everyone upset over, he never actually made. It was fictional dialog that came from a humorist’s website. It was someone’s idea of funny that many people believe to be true. I received this e-mail and although I do not like Obama by any means, I always try to check things out before I believe them. I suggest that everyone else does the same.
Comment by Richard Cochrane on 14 January 2010:
Rhonda:
It was checked. The White House, Obama, floated the idea and then withdrew in favor of a proposal to require eveyone to buy health insurance - including veterans — which has that saem effect but disguises it.
One way or another Obama seems determined to “fine” veterans for their military service.
That is a clear intent.
[WORDPRESS HASHCASH] The poster sent us ‘0 which is not a hashcash value.
Comment by bill gorisek on 25 January 2010:
I had to check this out on Snopes and found 80 claims of Obama’s misdeeds which I’m sure I’ve received at least 80 emails and snopes breaks them down like this.
51 - False
8 - True but 4 of them don’t have anything to do with Obama and the other four aren’t worth mentioning.
16 - Multi truth values
5 - Not enough evidence to make any kind of a claim
Comment by Richard on 26 January 2010:
Bill:
Obama / White House has admitted the idea was advanced and then withdrawn. Just like I said.
I am surprised by the orchastration of defense as Obama’s approvals collapse.
Check the ISP addresses of respondants here sometime.
Comment by Dale on 28 January 2010:
Washington is owned by attorney’s. all expert at manipulating points of law. Obama prides himself on being a Constitutional lawyer.
this would explain the back door deals regarding forced health care coverage for all Americans. Veterans included, active duty or not.
expert orator, like Clinton, they just continue to roll the corruption mongers forward from one administration to the next. one just has to look to the situation The FED in caught up in as an example.
dwm
Comment by slowsmile on 28 January 2010:
Many protest this one-sided democratic process, that today only ever seems to favor anything and everything that specail interest wants.
I can’t see any change in this situation really. It is almost amusing to think that, with all the corruption and outright influence that pervades the presidential, senatorial and congressional corridors these days, I very much doubt that these majority of corrupt govt representatives would ever vote for honest, transparent and accountable govt once again. They’re simply too entrenched.
If HRH 1207b does pass, then perhaps there is some hope. But, if it does pass, read the Bill’s fine print first…
Comment by Chief Hypocrite on 29 January 2010:
Tell me what apparatus of business or of any government, anywhere in the world that is not really powered by special interest groups? Do not overlook the ones without relentless negative press coverage. Focus on the obvious and you miss the root structure.
BTW, everyone, on every side of every question, conflict or purported crime in the US is given a lawyer to represent them unless they can afford a more motivated and highly paid person to screw with justice if the client is guilty or to enable justice if client is innocent and of course all of them are innocent as a starting point. Then the expensive chess match begins.
No bill before Congress will ever address any issue to the real and lasting benefit of the citizen, for it is in the drip drip narrowing of baseline citizen rights that really give someone else or the SIGs including even opposing special interest group, their corrupt, non democratic power, which unfortunately is enshrined in our social and legal customs, albeit not the Constitution.
Comment by richard on 31 January 2010:
The problem with “special” interests is defining who and what is special as opposed to (I suppose) regular interest.
Comment by John on 3 March 2010:
The snopes link:
http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/veteranshealth.asp
In summary:
The statements alleged to be Obama’s are, in fact, fabrications. Also, the proposal in question was ONLY for veterans WITH NO SERVICE-RELATED INJURIES OR ILLNESSES to be required to get their own insurance.
By publishing this fabrication and claiming it as fact, you are committing a textbook casde of libel and leaving yourself open to a lawsuit. Furthermore, considering the “article” was in fact written by someone else, by claiming it as your own (which, by posting it without proper attribution, you are ipso facto doing) you are opening yourself to plagiarism and/or copyright infringement lawsuits.
Than again, I suppose the fact that you haven’t been sued shows just how little regard anyone has for anything you “say” (and by “say” I mean posting on your blog things other people have written).
Comment by rider on 17 March 2010:
Smart move by Obama to just float the idea. remember transparency it took what I am sure he knew was ridiculous idea to open peoples eyes to the scary fact the we might leave it in the hands of private insurance thieves to provide fair and reasonable healthcare benifits to our beloved Vets or to any American citizen as far as that goes. It also showed the shallow mindedness of no social medicine but keep your hands off of my medicare
Comment by PAT on 27 May 2010:
WELL HE BACKED DOWN FROM TRYING TO FORCE OUR MILITARY TO PAY FOR THEIR WAR INJURIES. WHAT KIND OF IDIOT DO WE HAVE IN OFFICE. IT IS DUE TO US FOREIGN WAR POLICYS THAT OUR MEN AND WEMON FIGHT FOR THE US AND YES THEY ARE PROUD AND GLAD TO SERVE THEIR COUNTRY. SO THE QUESTION TO THIS PRESIDENT IS ARE YOU WILLING TO FIGHT FOR THIS COUNTRY OR ARE YOU GOING TO LAY DOWN AND LET TERRORISTS RUN OVER US. THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE WATCHING YOU MR. OBAMA. THE BLOOD OF PATRIOTS RUNS IN OUR VEINS AND WE WILL NOT LET YOU RUIN OUR COUNTRY
Comment by PAT on 27 May 2010:
WELL MR OBAMA BACKED DOWN FROM FORCING OUR MILITARY TO PAY FOR THEIR WAR INJURIES. WHAT A STUPID COMMENT TO MAKE. THESE MEN AND WEMON FIGHT SO THAT HE CAN BE SAVE AND HE DOES NOT EVEN APPRECIATE THEIR SACRIFICE. I CAN’T WAIT TILL HIS 4 YEARS ARE UP. EVERYDAY HE GIVES A LITTLE BIT MORE OF AMERICA AWAY. WE NEED TO STAND UP AND LET MR OBAMA KNOW THAT WE DON’T LIKE HIS POLICIES.
Comment by Allen McQuarrie on 21 December 2010:
This article and others like it proved “mostly false” by SNOPES demonstrates once again that truth is the first casualty of politics.
Comment by bill on 22 December 2010:
I have received this email once before back in January and posted enough facts to show it’s not true. There is no, never was a, and probably never will be a proposal to make veterans pay for the care of their war injuries nor was there any such speach. This story was made up, it’s a fabrication intended to rile those who are either too lazy to look into the allegations for themselves, too stupid to realize that no sitting president would ever make this statement or just have so much hatred that they want it to be true. Which one are you?
Comment by TJ on 22 December 2010:
Obama DID NOT SAY the following per snopes.com: Barack Obama on Veterans’ Health Insurance •••
“Look, it’s an all volunteer force,” Obama complained. “Nobody made these guys go to war. They had to have known and accepted the risks. Now…
2. Obama DID PROPOSE that veterans private insurance be billed for items currently paid by the VA, so he was trying to shift from government pay to private insurance payments.