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Here’s an interesting moment from earlier today at a Cato Institute event on conservatives and foreign policy. Reps. Dana Rohrabacher, Tom McClintock, and Jimmy Duncan are asked how their fellow Republicans in Congress, looking back from 2010, feel about the decision to go to war in Iraq

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Hindsight is Golden

George Will has a depressing column today about 45 years of federal education failure.

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Union of Dunces

The Democrats, citing Congressional Budget Office projections, claim the latest version of the health care bill will cut the budget deficit by more than $100 billion in the first decade and $1.2 trillion in the second. As before, those projections depend on Medicare cuts that, given Congress’ track record in this area, probably will not be sustained.

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Losing Count of the Double Counts

So, a Tea Party-favored candidate for the U.S. Senate is leading in his primary race to replace a sitting Republican senator who is stepping down.

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National Security Republicans Go Gunning for Senate Front-Runner Rand Paul

Timothy Carney, whose work on Obama-administration corporatism has paced the field, writes a bit more about the drug companies’ support for Obamacare, which Jacob Sullum flagged yesterday. In the heated yearlong health fight, President Obama has often accused his opponents of willful misrepresentation, even as he and his allies have endlessly repeated the biggest whopper of all — that the bill would rein in the special interests. Of all the single-industry lobbies in Washington, the largest is the Pharmaceutical Researchers and Manufacturers of America.

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More on Big Pharma’s Bill

Just got an upbeat personal email from my former governor and now DNC head Tim Kaine praising my efforts to pass Obamacare. It read in part: Ronald — I just met with the President, where I was proud to fill him in on all the great work that you’re doing to pass health reform. We spoke about the calls you’ve made, the letters you’ve written, and the terrific events you’ve organized on the ground

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DNC Chair Tim Kaine Congratulates Me For Helping Pass Health Care Reform

RomneyCare is probably not a very good model for federal health care reform: [Massachusetts] Treasurer Timothy P. Cahill – a former Democrat running as an independent for governor – said the local [health care] plan enacted in 2006 has succeeded only because of huge subsidies and favorable regulatory changes from the federal government. “Who, exactly, is going to bail out the federal government if this plan goes national?” he asked

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Massachusetts Treasurer: Fiscal Catastrophe Ahead If U.S. Passes Health Care Overhaul

While insurers may be having second thoughts about President Obama’s health care plan, Politico reports that drug manufacturers like what they see emerging from Congress enough to start planning commercials urging legislators to vote for it: The drug industry, which has held off running ads until officials sign off on the final reconciliation bill, is growing more comfortable with the emerging legislation and is preparing a substantial pro-reform ad buy in 43 Democratic districts, according to a senior industry source. The amount and timing of the buy have not yet been set and hinge largely on action in the House

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Drug Pushers for Health Care Reform

The Washington Post economics columnist is none too impressed by the president’s contributions to the health care debate: One job of presidents is to educate Americans about crucial national problems. On health care, Barack Obama has failed.

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Robert Samuelson on Obamacare: “It’s not now, and it’s not ‘us’”