The American Meddling Association

The American Medical Association recently came out against any form of public medical insurance out of fear that government health mandates would adversely the private practices of their doctors, not to mention their ability to make a buck. Although the AMA represents only about a quarter of the nation's doctors, they are a powerful lobbying group, and President Obama has acknowledged their clout by taking them on in a speech to an AMA convention this coming Monday.

Interestingly, the AMA fought - and delayed - the implementation of Medicare and Medicaid in the sixties, yet despite their bigger membership and formidable clout, they failed because the public wanted those programs. A public insurance option is still in doubt with regards to today's health care proposals, and a single-payer program itself is off the table, but Obama has support from the public for reform - especially from us uninsured Americans - just as President Kennedy and President Johnson had for Medicare and Medicaid.

Obama is willing to give up some of his own ideas to make health care reform a reality today, and he's willing to meet the AMA halfway. Maybe the AMA should heed the maxim Obama has already chosen to follow: You can't get everything you want.

Unless, of course, you're Madonna, who just won the right to adopt a second child from Malawi in spite of the obvious case against her after the Malawian government tried to block her. :-O