Politico: Palin health care critique "tough but wonky"

Politico's Andy Barr on Sarah Palin's most recent op-ed on health care reform:

Former Alaska GOP Gov. Sarah Palin penned a tough but wonky critique Saturday night of the health care bill approved this week by the Senate Finance Committee.

In a more than 1,000-word essay posted on her Facebook page shortly before midnight, Palin knocked the bill sponsored by Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) for not setting up proper cost offsets, but offered none of the more incinedary, "death-panel" type claims that have marked her previous comments.

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To make her argument that the bills costs are not supported by Baucus's proposed offsets, Palin, quoted Douglas Holtz-Eakin, the former top economic advisor to Sen. John McCain’s (R-Ariz.) presidential campaign.

She also took a process-oriented shot at Obama, writing: "In January 2008, presidential candidate Obama promised not to negotiate behind closed doors with health care lobbyists," Palin wrote. "However, last February, after serving only a few weeks in office, President Obama met privately at the White House with health care industry executives and lobbyists."

Barr notes that former Governor Palin "took a more tempered approach Saturday" with her opinion piece than one she posted in August in which she raised the possibility of death panels that could make end of life care decisions for the elderly. Within days of the death panels op-ed, the Senate Finance Committe dropped the end of life provision from its version of a health care reform bill.

- JP