Former Kansas Sen. Bob Dole hit several nails on the head Thursday in his comments about tasks awaiting President-elect Barack Obama.

They deserve a retelling.

Dole had just finished the keynote address for Grinnell College's celebration of World War II veterans, when during the question-and-answer session he said Obama's flexibility will be limited by the economic crisis. Dole said Obama should pick one priority and focus on it. Health care is that issue, he said.

Amen. Today's system is under unprecedented pressure with hospitals, physicians and other health care providers in the vise.

In particular, community hospitals see more Medicare and Medicaid patients than ever while reimbursements from these government programs get tighter. Federal mandates mean hospitals must treat anyone that enters emergency rooms, even nonemergencies such as common colds.

Meanwhile, insurance companies, like Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas, enjoy healthy profits, and the top five pharmaceutical companies are making more profits than all U.S. hospitals added together.

Dole also nailed it when he spoke about problems with today's Republican Party.

"When I got into politics, a mainstream conservative, not a right-wing, but a mainstream, middle-of-the-road conservative, was someone who believed in lower taxes and lower spending," Dole said. "Now, if you don't answer to five or six or seven other things, you're not welcome in the party."

Amen again. One reason for dramatic losses in this election is the GOP's move to the right on social issues. Party conservatives put their priorities on fighting abortion, undermining the theory of evolution and preventing equal rights to gays, while ignoring cultural evils like poverty, hunger and corporate greed.

GOP moderates are rejected as too liberal and thus are more likely to vote for a moderate Democrat. Gov. Kathleen Sebelius proves that point. Voters elected her to two terms in a state where there are more voters registered as undecided than registered as Democrats.

Dole said Republicans have "got a big hole to dig ourselves out of." True. That hole is why the GOP is leaving the White House.

-- Tom Bell

Editor & Publisher

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