The Last Word on Health Care
"I am not the first President to take up this cause, but I am determined to be the last."—Sept. 9, 2009
In September, President Obama appeared before Congress to state his case — again — for health care reform. This bold statement opened the impassioned speech, in which Obama went on to decry the number of uninsured Americans, "skyrocketing" health care costs and the unbearable burden placed on taxpayers. He even called the U.S. "the only advanced democracy on earth" that allows so many of its citizens to go without health care. Obama's speech was eloquent and reasoned, but the most memorable line came from Republican Joe Wilson, who shouted "You lie!" after the President promised that the benefits of reform would not extend to illegal immigrants.