Bob Dole: Health Care Will Pass, GOP Should Be Open To Reform

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/07/bob-dole-health-care-will_n_312837.html

Former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole (R-Kans.) told reporters on Wednesday that opposition to the president's health care package was driven, in part, by knee-jerk partisanship and he urged Congressional Republicans to consider backing a version of reform.

The 1996 Republican presidential candidate also predicted, following a speech at a health care reform summit in Kansas, that "there will be a signing ceremony" for a reform bill sometime this year or early in 2010.

But the comments that seem likely to create the most ripples were those that dealt with Congressional opposition to the White House. Dole, according to reports, framed the pushback to Barack Obama's reform agenda as almost perfunctory in nature.

Sometimes people fight you just to fight you," he said, according to The Kansas City Star. "They don't want Reagan to get it, they don't want Obama to get it, so we've got to kill it..."

"Health care is one of those things," he added. "Now we've got to do something."

"Dole's comments come at a time when other major GOP figures - all from outside Washington - have also urged the party to approach the issue of health care in a more collaborative matter. The list includes California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and former Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson. But Dole's remarks went a bit further- not just lamenting the lack of bipartisan compromise on reform but calling out individuals inside his own party.

Let's Hope Dole has it right... America NEEDS Health Care reform ...