I'm having a little trouble doing the math here. Maybe you can help me out.

• Democrat Hillary Clinton wants affordable healthcare for all - an admirable goal.
• President Bush is trying to cap "pain & suffering" malpractice payments so that doctors can pay less for insurance, thereby reducing the cost of medical care in America - sounds like both sides are working toward the same goal...
• Opponents of Bush (could that be the Democrats???) are against the idea, saying the only ones who will win in this deal are the insurance companies, and not the poor, helpless victims (not to belittle those with legitimate claims, but seriously, how many claims are actually legitimate?).
• Many of those against the cap are personal injury lawyers - obviously.
• Democratic Vice Presidential Nominee John Edwards is a personal injury lawyer.

My question - do the Democrats even know what the hell they are in favor of?

Bush will start the effort on Wednesday with his first big speech of the new year on a trip to Madison County, Illinois, which the White House called a magnet for so-called "junk" lawsuits. Spokesman Scott McClellan said the county was "the single best place in the country for trial lawyers to sue."

Bush would limit damages awarded by a jury for pain and suffering in malpractice lawsuits to $250,000. His plan would still allow unlimited damages to cover economic losses. His idea is to change a system that he says allows lawyers to hit the jackpot with big-dollar awards.

"We have a broken medical liability system," McClellan said.

Trial lawyers say Bush is trying to limit Americans' legal rights and is faking a crisis while protecting the profits of insurance companies, many of whom helped him win re-election in November and who have to pay out the large awards.

...

Phil Singer, a spokesman for Nevada Democratic Sen. Harry Reid, the new minority leader in the Senate, said if Congress wants to control rising malpractice insurance premiums, "then we must enact tough insurance reforms to promote real competition in the insurance industry."

So it's the insurance companies' fault? But they are actually paying out more than they are taking in, from bogus "pain and suffering" claims! If I were in the insurance business, and I was losing more than I was making, I would have to charge my clients more. And in turn, my clients would have to charge thier clients more. It just makes good business sense. Unless you're a personal injury lawyer. Then, everything is somebody else's fault. The doctors, the insurance companies, the neighbor down the street who recommended that doctor in the first place. Perhaps, if the payouts weren't so large, fewer bogus claims would be made. Capping the payments is a win-win situation. Except, of course, if you are an ambulance chasing parasite.

The Democrats need to all sit down together and decide what they really want: Cheaper health care, or higher payouts?