In the penultimate speech before the vote on the health care bill the other evening, Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) showed in his first sentence what sort of craven hypocrite he is. He said:

“Today, we should be standing together, reflecting on a year of bipartisanship, and working to answer our country’s call and their challenge to address the rising costs of health insurance in our country."

This was said by the man who is a leader of a party that steadfastly refused to join in any negotiations, any discussions, anything that came anywhere near acting in a bipartisan manner when it came to health care. To imply, in the last moment before defeat, that the Republicans had any desire to do anything other than oppose health care reform is the height of hypocrisy, especially when they have been stonewalling a President who repeatedly asked them to contribute their ideas and their proposals, a President who repeatedly implored them to act in a bipartisan way. And that he can take it for granted that those he claims to represent will automatically turn a blind eye to that hypocrisy is plain disrespectful. That such an ass can rise so high is, in itself, a sign of the weakness of the current Republican party and the conservative movement.

For they did nothing to "address the rising costs of health insurance" other than to oppose and pout, mostly out of a desire for power rather than because of anything that had to do with policy. They hoped to make political gains in the midterm elections at the cost of the health and financial security of the American people, a vain and cynical approach that should be rewarded with a sound electoral thrashing next November.

David Frum is a conservative and I disagree with him on matters of policy quite often, however, I respect what he has to say. He is a thoughtful conservative, and even when I disagree with him, he usually gives me something to ponder, something to consider. He recently wrote his thoughts about this reflexive opposition to health care reform, and he made all good points.

As someone who tends more to the left than the right, let me say that we need conservatives in the public debate. It's basic Taoism. The yin and the yang are both necessary. They are compliments, not combatants. The system works best when the two are engaged in the process together, modifying and monitoring each other. Without that sort of balance, we are doomed to excess and destruction.

And balance cannot be achieved by hypocrites.