Go ahead and discuss, if you are watching. I’ve got the television on, but Miss Lucy wants me to change the litter box first.

Update: I could have done without all the flapping about what a great guy Max Baucus is, but so far the presentation isn’t bad. On to the Q and A.

Why do we need a “uniquely American” health care system? That’s what we have now.

So far he’s not talking about the public option.

Well, it went OK, I thought. Nothing startling.

I just learned that one of the sponsors of this week’s health fair in Los Angeles is the Tzu Chi Foundation, a Buddhist charity headquartered in Taiwan. Tzu Chi was organized by a nun, the Venerable Dharma Master Cheng Yen, and now claims 5 million members in 45 countries.

So I’m saying that if health care reform falls through, there’s a silver lining. As more and more Americans sink into medical destitution for lack of health care, we can round up Tzu Chi, Dharma Drum, and other international Buddhist charities to set up free clinics with a little dharma on the side. Heh.

This is a rumor you are welcome to spread.

Update: Now I’ve learned that Tzu Chi already has a permanent free clinic in Los Angeles. Hey, it’s how the Christian missions got started in Asia and Africa. Why not?

Update: Tzu Chi has already infiltrated Massachusetts. This was low-hanging fruit, of course. Once we have Texas, it’s all over. On to Dallas!

First, the President is speaking in Montana today at another town hall meeting. I understand tickets are being handed out first come, first serve, instead of by the White House, so the audience could be a bit livelier than in the recent New Hampshire event. The meeting is supposed to start at 12:50 local time, which I think would be 2:50 EST. I don’t know if I will live blog — we’ll see — but I will look in on it and comment if anything significant happens.

And I trust the Secret Service will send everyone through five metal detectors and two dozen bag searches before they can be seated.

The New York Times is running a story on the origins of the “death panel” rumors. There isn’t anything in it that you don’t already know, I believe, but the fact that the New York Times is publishing this is itself noteworthy. And the fact that it’s noteworthy when a major newspapers publishes stuff we all already know is itself noteworthy, huh?

Meanwhile, Rudy Giuliani’s descent into political irrelevancy continues as he endorses the death panel rumors.

Scott Lehigh tells us that the anti-health reform mobs are made up of whackjobs. Wow, I wouldn’t have guessed.

Paul Krugman comments on how we are so not post partisan, are we?