Claire McCaskill, politically timid soul that she  is, has been a little vague on the topic of health care, and almost downright Republican sounding on the topic of cap-and-trade. Something is definitely wrong when we have to hold our breath waiting to find out where and how hard a Democrat is going to come down on such issues. However, just for fun, take a moment and consider those in our Missouri congressional delegation who are willing to go all-the-way in-your-face with their druthers on the issues of the day — and count your blessings, such as they are.

Roy Blunt, for example,  thinks Medicare was a big mistake. Mr Blunt is very open about his preference that corporate bureaucrats in the insurance industry continue to  to do the bang-up job they have been doing in administering our health care. It doesn’t seem to occur to him that the big government bogeyman that frightens him so much couldn’t do much worse, and, in the case of the program he so decries, Medicare, has already shown it can do much better.  

Then there is Kit Bond who, as reported on NPR this evening, does not fear to let his fervid opposition to cap-and-trade show, managing to hit every Republican  talking point in one jam-packed sentence:

I think the American people and certainly my Missouri constituents deserve to know how the legislation we consider will impose new energy taxes on them, kill their jobs, punish the Midwest and South, help China and India, and construct a new bureaucratic nightmare to implement a carbon cap-and-trade program.

I don’t bring up these examples of just plain dumb (Blunt) and corrupt frothing (Bond) in order to excuse McCaskill’s failings, but just to underline the fact that it is far from a perfect world right now, but it could be lots worse — and if these two distinguished gentlemen get their way, it really will be.

Addendum: Billmon eviscerates Blunt for his hypocrisy.