I'm So Very Behind

You have no idea. I know I always say that I'm behind and swamped and disorganized, but truly, I've outdone myself. I've reached new heights of behind-ness.

I'm so behind that I'm just now getting around to reading the text of the State of the Union speech, which was, of course.... a while ago. I have an excuse for not listening to it, but not following up in a more timely manner? Well, I'm a slug. That's all there is to it.

Here's my current favorite line:

In all we do, we must remember that the best health care decisions are made not by government and insurance companies, but by patients and their doctors."

Oh! Really? George, you stun me. We're supposed to believe that you believe that?

Because that would explain so much about why you chose Eric Keroack to head HHS's Family Planning program. A man who believes that birth control demeans women -and surely that position wins some kind of "peculiar argument" award- is going to be so interested in leaving those decisions to a women and her doctor. That single sentence in the State of the Union explains so much about why you publish abstinence-only teaching materials claiming that avoiding sex will save you from suicide. That's why you used political clout to delay approval of the morning-after pill for years.

Perhaps you meant to say that health care decisions belong to patients and doctors, unless the patient has a vagina. But then.... you probably think that's a dirty word.