By Laura Woodhead – Talk Radio News Service

We need to come together to work out a solution to reduce abortions said a coalition of pro-choice and pro-life Democrats on Thursday. Speaking at a press conference to announce the introduction of the Ryan-Delauro “Preventing Unintended Pregnancies, Reducing The Need for Abortion and Supporting Parents Act”, Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) said that this is a bill whose “time has come.”

“You get into public live to solve problems” Ryan said. ” With this legislation we are solving a major problem, a divisive issue in this country”

The 87 page bill would reduce the need for abortions through an increase in family planning initiatives, which would include better access to both preventative and postpartum care.

“This is not a decision that we take lightly. It is a morally complex matter of conscience that goes to our most fundamental principles. That is why this bill is so important,” said the bill’s co-author Rep. Rosa Delauro (D-Conn.). “It aims to break a stalemate that has impeded the progress on reducing the number of abortions in this country.”

Speaking in support of the Ryan-Delauro bill were advocates from both ends of the ideological spectrum on the abortion debate, including the President of NARAL Pro Choice America Nancy Keenan and Pastor Dr. Joel Hunter who serves on the board of the World Evangelical Alliance.

“Americans want solutions not rhetoric,” Keenan said. “The Ryan-DeLauro bill is a welcome and constructive addition to the call for common ground.”

“[I] Challenge all well meaning pro-life people to support this bill,” Dr. Hunter said. “[The bill will] make a measurable difference in the challenge and the tragedy of abortion in our nation.”

Rep. Ryan called it a historic moment for Congress, and showed that progress can be made on even the most contentious of issues.

“I believe that this such a divisive issue that when we agree and find common ground on [it] there is no issue under this dome that we can’t solve together if we are all willing to lead,” Ryan said.

By Laura Woodhead – Talk Radio News Service

The Democrats must convince the public that they are fiscally responsible on health care Blue Dog Democrats said Wednesday.

Members of the coalition spoke at a press conference following the successful passage of the Democrats ‘pay as you go’ legislation, which if passed by the Senate, will require Congress to secure funds for new projects by cutting spending from other programs.

“We can pass health care in a fiscally responsible way and make it deficit neutral. It has to convey that to the American people,” said said Rep. Baron Hill (D- Ind.) “We have got to get back on the message that we are fiscally responsible here. Quite frankly we have lost that message but we are going to get back on track.”

Hill said that the chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), was ready to roll up his sleeves in order to make sure that the bill left his committee as soon as possible while also remaining deficit neutral.

“We are making progress, albeit slowly” Hill said. “I am optimistic that we can get something done sooner rather than later.”

Rep. Charles Stenholm (D-Texas) said that although the bill did not go as far as he would like to have seen, it was a step in the right direction.

“To all of those who criticize this bill: This is only the beginning,” Stenholm said. Anyone who thinks this bill will solve all our fiscal problems does not understand the depth…of the problems we have.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and House Minority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-M.D.) commended the Blue Dogs for their work on the legislation.

By Laura Woodhead – Talk Radio News Service

“Ideology has overrun reality” when it comes to the Democrats’ agenda said former New York city Mayor Rudy Giuliani Wednesday. Speaking at the American Enterprise Institute’s discussion on ‘Keeping America Competitive, Prosperous, Entrepreneurial, and Enterprising: Why Capitalism Works,’ Giuliani said that he was fearful that the Obama administration was producing bad solutions to the economic crisis; solutions which will send America deeper into recession.

“If you think the idea is that government is going to be able to run financial institutions, banks, automotive companies….the entire health care industry, or energy better than private enterprise has been able to do… go look at what government has run.” Giuliani said. “The government ran [social security] as a political program rather than an economic program…the political choices overwhelmed the sensible economic choices that had to be made.”

Guiliani said that it was important to allow the private sector to fix the economy rather than the government through legislation such as the stimulus.

“It would be a terrible mistake if we allow this to continue, what appears to be an inexorable answer that government can fix this problem. It would defy history, it would defy the facts” he said.

Giuliani stressed that the biggest battles would be over health care and energy, as they would be the hardest to undo.

“We cant undo institutions,” Giuliani said. “This is scary stuff.”

Giuliani said that he was disappointed that the President has not brought more transparency to Washington as he promised he would.

“The whole argument for this health care bill is an argument for no transparency” he said.”If it’s so good, if it has such great ideas, whats the rush? Why not let it be examined in the market of free ideas?”

“I am afraid that we are embracing social democracy” Giuliani added. “Everything that has been done so far has taken this recession and extended it.”

By Laura Woodhead – Talk Radio News Service

The energy and health care proposals currently being debated in Congress will be disastrous for the economy, House Republicans said at a press conference Tuesday. Speaking following the weekly House Republican conference, Rep. Mike Pence (R – Ind.) said that the Democrats seem determined to try and pass their bills despite the negative impact they’ll have on an already challenged economy. If it were to pass, the American Clean Energy Act and the Democrats’ health care plan would be a “disaster for this economy and a disaster for working Americans” he said.

“House Republicans are determined to step forward and demand that this Congress focus on putting this country back on its feet,” Pence added.

House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) said that there is a strong bi-partisan coalition opposing the current health care proposals.

“Either this bill fails or it changes dramatically,” Cantor said. “If the bill fails it will be because of disagreement among the Democrats as to the proper direction to head as far as health care reform is concerned.”

“This administration, this President has no one else to blame,” he added. “What they ought to be doing is coming to work with us in order to reflect a much more reasoned approach to try and accomplish health care for the American people.”

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio.) said that the “President is going to begin his barnstorming” on bills that will kill jobs.

“The stimulus bill isnt working, they bring along this health care bill that will cost 5 million jobs, and they bring this cap and trade bill up last month that will cost us 2.5 million jobs each year for the next ten years. This is not what the American people want.”

Boehner called on President Obama to abandon current health care proposals and negotiate with Republicans in order to achieve economically feasible health care reform.

“Mr President, it’s time to scrap this bill. It’s time to start working in a bi-partisan way,” he said.

By Laura Woodhead – Talk Radio News Service

Health insurance companies have to be part of the health care solution, said Democrats on the Senate Finance committee during a press conference Wednesday.

“Insurance companies are the people who are just rapaciously, greedily, unstoppably making money by underpaying the patient, by under paying the provider and by overpaying, therefore, themselves,” said Sen. Jay Rockerfeller (D- W.Va.)

Under the proposal currently being debated in the Senate Finance Committee, insurance companies would help pay for the health care plan in return for the expected 40 million new customers they should receive from reforming the health industry. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D- N.Y.) stressed that if the health care system was allowed to continue in its current state “even people who are covered are going to pay and pay and pay.”

“Between 2000 and 2007 the profits of the 10 largest health care insurers went from $2.4 billion to $12.9 billion” Schumer said. “Our broken health care system is working very well for private health insurers but not for American consumers.”

Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich. ) said it was impossible to ignore the need to fix a system that delivers such large profits to the insurance industry while it fails to provide for so many people.

“We are committed, our majority is committed, and this President is committed to change the status quo,” she said. “It does not work for people, it does not work for doctors and it is not working for the economy.”

Stabenow said it is the time for health insurance companies to “step up to the plate.”

By Laura Woodhead – Talk Radio News Service

The Democratic health care plan will hurt the nation’s economy as well as its health care system said House GOP leaders Wednesday. The Republicans spoke at a press conference during which they unveiled their visual representation of the Democrats’ reform bill.

House Minority Leader Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) said that the Democrats’ plan would worsen the current recession by destroying jobs as well as restricting Americans’ options on health care.

“What this is going to do is ration care, limit the choices that patients and doctors have and really decrease the quality of the health care system.” Boehner said. “If this isn’t bad enough think about the giant increase in taxes that comes as a result of this, killing more jobs in America.”

The Republicans also released a chart designed to make Americans skeptical of the Democrats’ plan. The chart depicted thirty one new federal programs, agencies, commissions and mandates that would be created by the Democrats’ plan. Such added bureaucracy would “get in between the patient and their health care provider,” argued Rep. Kevin Brady (R- Texas.).

“The American people are asking how will all this will work, and today they get the first peek at how a government take over of health care would affect them.” Brady said. “Why would any patient be forced to hand over control of their health care decisions over to this Faustian web of Washington Bureaucracy?”

Boehner asserted that the economy would suffer greatly if the bill is rushed through, arguing that the American public should view the plan for at least 72 hours so that they will know what’s “in store for them.”

“It’s clear who is paying for this plan, and it is the small business men and women” Boehner said.

“It might make for a lovely board game but it makes for horrible health care system” said Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R- Mich.). “I would hope that [the Democrats] reconsider, focus on the economy, stop the insanity and start creating jobs.”

By Laura Woodhead – Talk Radio News Service

Spending on the health care bill will be uncontrollable unless the House sets priorities, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said at her weekly press briefing Thursday.

“We have to establish priorities otherwise the bill is endless, so we have to contain it,” she said. “I have told members as early as this morning, squeeze out what you can out of the system. Savings, savings, savings.”

Contrary to opposition claims, Pelosi stressed that the bill would not be funded by new taxes on health benefits.

“This bill will be paid for,” Pelosi said. “We will not be taxing health benefits on any legislation that comes from the House.”

Pelosi questioned the integrity of House Minority Leader John Boehner’s (R-Ohio) pledge that he would not vote for Health Care until he had read the entire bill. “Is this a pledge that is in keeping with his having read every bill he has ever voted for?”

The Speaker avoided questions concerning letters sent from Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee to the CIA director, in which the committee accused him of misleading members during a committee appearance.

“I know as much as you do,” she said. “I have seen the letters and obviously [the committee members] have concern.”

Pelosi did, however, respond to a question regarding a proposed resolution to honor Michael Jackson.

“I do not think it is necessary,” she said. “A resolution would open up contrary views that are not necessary at this time.”

The younger generation has a key role to play in the fight to pass health care and climate legislation said prominent Democrats to students Wednesday. President Bill Clinton, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius spoke at the Campus Progress National Conference, which brought together over 1,000 progressively minded students from across the United States.

President Clinton said America’s youth “cannot just sit on the sidelines” of politics and must focus on the “how” when it comes to energy, health care and education policy.

“The answer can not just be more money…you have to look at the delivery system…Your life will be shaped by America’s success of failure to do that,” the former President said.

“These are mind numbingly difficult problems” he said, “[But] America works when we are all sort of stumbling in the right direction.”

Speaker Pelosi praised student activists groups from across the country for the lobbying they have done in order to promote the Democrats’ agenda. The Speaker said she was encouraged by the increase in youth mobilization and urged how imperative it is to passing new legislation.

“I have so much confidence in the future,” she said.

Secretary Sebilius also spoke to the students about the importance of their participation in the health care reform debate.

“Not doing anything is not an alternative,” she said.

Through the administration’s proposed health care reform, “we have an opportunity to not only increase the health of America but also the wealth of the nation” said the Secretary.

Among other speakers at the conference were White House Green Jobs Special Adviser Van Jones, Daily Show Correspondent John Oliver and pop star Joel Madden.

“Do you know who inspires him [President Obama]? You,” said Jones to the delighted crowd.

By Laura Woodhead – Talk Radio News Service

A proposed reform to the manner in which foreign detainees are tried will ensure that prisoners receive treatment more in line with the U.S. judicial system, said military officials during their testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee Tuesday.

“We are willing to be judged by what we are putting together today. You ought to feel very comfortable sending anybody to this commission process with these changes because we have what we believe to be a fair and just system,” said Vice Admiral Bruce E MacDonald USN, Judge Advocate General of the United States Navy.

The hearing took place in response to the committee’s proposed amendments to the Military Commissions Act of 2006, which have been included in the National Defense Authorization Bill for the 2010 fiscal year. The proposed changes would alter “a long list of problems” with military commissions so that they “provided basic guarantees of fairness identified by the Supreme Court”, thereby eliminating the language that places the burden upon detainees to prove that ‘hearsay’ evidence against them is unreliable said Chairman Sen. Carl Levin (D- Mich.)

Sen. Joe Lieberman (I- Conn.) responded negatively to the proposed reform, warning that allowing detainees the right to a civilian trial would be affording them rights they simply do not deserve.

“We would be giving these terrorists greater protection in the federal courts than we given any other war criminal in our entire history…Yes it may be an act of murder that killed the people in the twin towers on 9/11, but it was [also] an act of war. The people that did that do not deserve constitutional protections of federal courts.”

Sen. Graham (R – S.C) disagreed with Sen. Lieberman, saying that creating a hybrid situation that involved civilian courts and military commissions is the key, considering there is no clear end to the war on terrorism.

“That’s not being soft on terrorism, that’s applying American values to this war” he said.

Sen. John McCain (R- Ariz.) took a different view, asserting that it was not just what type of trial took place but where it was held. Sen. McCain repeatedly questioned the officials as to whether there would be a difference in the rights awarded to detainees if they were tried at Guantanamo Bay or in the continental U.S.

“I think it is important for this Committee to know when writing this legislation, if detainees would have all kinds of additional rights if tried in America as opposed to Guantanamo. I think the Committee and the American people should know that.”

Chairman, Senator Carl Levin (D-Mich.) said that this new legislation would address the “shortcomings of the existing law” in relation to tribunals.

However, he added, that the Government “will have a long way to go to restore public confidence in military commissions and the justice they produce.”

Present at the hearing were Sen. Levin (D-Mich.), Sen. McCain (R-Ariz.), Sen. Lieberman (I – Conn.) , Sen. Reed (D- R.I.), Sen. Graham (R – Ga.), Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), Sen. Martinez (R-Fla.), Sen. Udall (D- Colo.) and Sen. Hagan (D- N.C.)

By Laura Woodhead – Talk Radio News

The Israeli militarily may launch preemptive military action against Iran if world leaders fail to act, said David Menashri, Director for Iranian Studies at Tel Aviv University, during a conference call with the Israel Policy Forum.

“[The Israeli government] is unlikely to sit idly by and wait until Iran gains Nuclear capabilities,” Menashri said. “This issue is too big for the shoulders of Israel”

The Director stressed that it was important for the rest of the world not to forget about Iran due to the recent decrease in opposition protest.

“Although things on the surface seem calm and quiet, something is really boiling there…while the world is fascinated by the Iranian election process, the nuclear scientists in Iran did not stop their work. The nuclear clock is ticking” he warned.

Menashri suggested that the recent level of political instability may be partially due to the spirit of change surrounding the election of U.S. President Barack Obama.

“Whenever there is a Democrat President with human rights high on his agenda in Washington there are disturbances and riots in Tehran…there is a great appeal in thinking ‘Yes we can’ too.”

The Director added, “The combination of radical ideology on the one hand and nuclear capability and delivery systems on the other is a serious challenge to the region and beyond the region…the solution should be an American lead solution”

Menarshi argued that if Iranian leaders fell under enough pressure “they would choose the survival of the regime” over there nuclear ambitions.

“Iran is a rational country, they have proven again and again, when there was a clash between ideology and interest of the regime, interest won over ideology.”

Ultimately, Menashri argued, it is impossible to predict what will happen next in Iran.

“If there is someone that tells you they know what will happen, do not believe him” he said.