They were actually penned by satirist John Semmens in a piece that appeared on March 21, 2009 on the website AZConservative.org. Nor was this the first time one of Semmens' spoofs circulated under the guise of "news." In 2007 he put words into the President's mouth to explain Obama's supposed refusal to salute the American flag. Semmens wasn't out to deceive anyone, but whoever copied and pasted his words into forwarded emails certainly was.
In any case, the veterans health insurance proposal was abruptly withdrawn after it met with near-universal condemnation. While President Obama did not speak personally on the matter, the following statement was released by the White House press office on March 18, 2009:
The President has consistently stated that he is committed to working with veterans on the details of the 2010 VA Budget Proposal. The President demonstrated his deep commitment to veterans by proposing the largest increase in the VA budget in 30 years and calling VSO and MSO leaders into the White House for an unprecedented meeting to discuss various aspects of the budget proposal. In considering the third party billing issue, the administration was seeking to maximize the resources available for veterans; however, the President listened to concerns raised by the VSOs that this might, under certain circumstances, affect veterans and their families’ ability to access health care. Therefore, the President has instructed that its consideration be dropped. The President wants to continue a constructive partnership with the VSOs and MSOs and is grateful to those VSOs and MSOs who have worked in good faith with him on the budget proposal.
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Sources and further reading:
Senators Slam Plan for Wounded Vets to Use Private Insurance
CNN, 10 March 2009Veterans Groups Irate at Obama's Private Insurance Proposal
CNN, 17 March 2009Obama Dropping Vets Insurance Proposal
CNN, 18 March 2009White House Statement
White House Press Secretary, 18 March 2009
Last updated 12/16/11
