Well .. this certainly caused a bit of interest during yesterday's show. I got my hate-filled little right-wing talk show hosts on an article that detailed the lies - misstatements - half-truths - rhetorical tricks ... whatever ... that Barack Obama was using or delivered in his speech before congress. Turns out that South Carolina Congressman Joe Wilson was a bit more than right when he yelled "you lie" at the president. Of course we now know that Wilson's outburst was driven by racism, not a concern for the truth ... but it does seem he was on to something.

Here's the story from the Wall Street Journal I was using yesterday to detail Obama's misstatements of fact. My listeners wanted me to list all 20 of the truth-challenged statements. So, here they are. For the explanations you'll have to click on the link and read the whole story.

Now I know you liberals and ObamaBots aren't going to read any further. This is too hard for you to deal with. The very idea that The Chosen one could possibly be wrong ... or, worse, actually lie to you is just too much for you to bear. So why don't you head over to The Daily Kos for your comfort food while people who actually care about the truth read on .....

Here are Obama's greatest lies ... misstatements ... and stretches of the truth as contained in his address before the joint session.

"Buying insurance on your own costs you three times as much as the coverage you get from your employer."

"There are now more than 30 million American citizens who cannot get coverage."

"And every day, 14,000 Americans lose their coverage."

"One man from Illinois lost his coverage in the middle of chemotherapy. . . . They delayed his treatment, and he died because of it."

"Another woman from Texas was about to get a double mastectomy when her insurance company canceled her policy because she forgot to declare a case of acne."

Rising costs are "why so many employers . . . are forcing their employees to pay more for insurance."

Rising costs are "why American business that compete internationally . . . are at a huge disadvantage."

"Those of us with health insurance are also paying a hidden and growing tax for those without it -- about $1,000 per year that pays for somebody else's emergency room and charitable care."

At this point, Obama said, "These are the facts. Nobody disputes them."

"[Reform] will slow the growth of health-care costs for our families, our businesses, and our government."

"Nothing in this plan will require you or your employer to change the coverage or the doctor you have. Let me repeat this: Nothing in our plan requires you to change what you have."

Requiring insurers to cover preventive care "saves money."

"The [bogus] claim . . . that we plan to set up panels of bureaucrats with the power to kill off senior citizens . . . is a lie, plain and simple."

"There are also those who claim that our reform efforts would insure illegal immigrants. This, too, is false. The reforms I'm proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally."

"Under our plan, no federal dollars will be used to fund abortions."

Critics of the public option would "be right if taxpayers were subsidizing this public insurance option. But they won't be. I've insisted that like any private insurance company, the public insurance option would have to be self-sufficient and rely on the premiums it collects."

"And I will make sure that no government bureaucrat or insurance company bureaucrat gets between you and the care that you need."

"I will not sign a plan that adds one dime to our deficits -- either now or in the future." "The plan will not add to our deficit."

"Now, add it all up, and the plan I'm proposing will cost around $900 billion over ten years."

"The middle class will realize greater security, not higher taxes."

If this whole government health care thing is such a fantastic idea ... if the people want it so bad, then why does the president find it necessary or expedient to be so completely dishonest when discussing it with a national audience? Did he really think that someone wouldn't notice and list the outright lies and misstatements of fact? Did he really think he would get away with that "because she forgot to declare a case of acne" line? OK, I'll grant you, the myrmidon press wasn't going to blow his cover here; but what about those rogues on the Internet and the hate-filled, evil, violence-prone right wing radio talk show hosts? Did he think that they were somehow going to shrink before his superior rhetorical skills and the sheer power of his incredible personality?

Why is this all so important that Obama has to lie about it? Power, folks. Power. I know I'm repeating myself here, but I keep telling myself that every time I bring this up someone out there gets it. This is NOT about your health care. This is ALL about power. Control over your health care means power ... lots of power ... and power is what drives the very souls of the political class.