It was November, 2003. The vote on the Bush Medicare bill was going to be very close and the White House faced a rebellion in Republican ranks. Some GOP conservatives, 13 to be exact, didn't like the huge price tag - $395 billion over 10 years.
The House had to be kept in session late into the night while GOP leaders twisted arms and finally got enough of those reluctant Republicans to go along to win the day. The bill passed by five votes.
Several weeks later, the Administration released a new cost estimate, $551 billion.
Fast forward. In today's Albuquerque Journal, Tony Pugh of Knight Ridder reports that "The government's top expert on Mmedicare costs was warned that he would be fired if he told key lawmakers about a series of Bush adminsitration cost estimates that could have torpedoed Congressional passage of the Administration-backed Medicare prescription drug plan."
The story says Richard S. Foster, chief actuary for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, told colleagues of the threat last June.
Incidentally, the Journal carries an AP story on the same page about Sen. Kerry's comment that his GOP critics are "the most crooked, you know, lying grooup I've ever seen."
Republican leasders in the House and Senate are quoted as saying they were offended and think Kerry should apologize.
Isn't politics wonderful?