Yet again, our media and politicians have fixated on a meaningless sound-bite as a way of marginalizing health-care as an important debate in this country. Two words, shouted by Republican Rep. Joe Wilson at President Obama during a speech to a joint session of congress, have become a touchstone in the national fight over healthcare: “You lie.” The outburst was sparked by Obama’s affirmation that his reforms would not apply to illegal immigrants. Wilson, who appeared to disagree with this, voiced his opinion and has taken over the news cycle for the past week. First he apologized to Obama and his chief of staff, Rahm Emmanuel, and then he refused to apologize on the house floor, after which he was officially “disapproved of” in a resolution voted on by the House.

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