Watch what you call a Holocaust...

Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) is refusing to apologize for claiming that the Republican solution to health-care is for people to "die quickly" and instead said “I apologize to the dead and their families that we haven’t voted sooner to end this holocaust in America.”

If that's what he truly (misguidedly) believes, that's fine, but there's no reason that this should suffice when Rep Joe Wilson's formal apology was required. If you're going to cite a need for civility and respect within the chambers, then it needs to be seen on both sides of the aisle.

Name Calling

It seems like a few people in Washington have gotten into the habit of name calling. Last week we had Representative Joe Wilson yelling 'You lie!' during President Obama's address to the nation on health care reform, and more recently President Obama called Kayne West a 'jackass' in an off-the-record moment during an interview with CNBC.

True, there are several differences in the way these two men expressed themselves. One did so in front of the nation, breaking rules of decorum, while the other spoke in what he thought would be a private conversation. While some have expressed disgust at the name calling, I applaud these men for having the courage to stand up and speak the truth. There may be more polite ways of saying what, they did, but at least President Obama is finally living up to his campaign promise of bringing more transparency to Washington, by saying what he feels.