Excuse me, have we met?

Why does Sen. John McCain keep calling me his friend? I’ve never even met the guy.

So, McCain (two McCain posts in a row!) is trotting out a health care tour. And much like the “Message: I care” tour of impoverished areas that proceeded it, this one is going to feature a whole lot of talk and little substance.

You know, I don’t mean to be a McCain basher. But even if he insists on being friendly with me, it’s hard not to be critical when a candidate for the President of the United States takes on some of the most pressing political and moral issues of our times and basically says, “I hope something can fix this, but as President I won’t do a whole lot.”

Here’s the quote from an Associated Press story: “‘America can have a health care system that is characterized by better prevention, coordinated care, electronic health records, cutting-edge treatments -- and lower costs,’ McCain will say, according to excerpts of his speech provided by his campaign. ‘We can build a health care system that is more responsive to our needs and is delivered to more people at lower cost. The solution, my friends, isn't a one-size-fits-all big-government takeover of health care.’”

These kinds of “solutions”; electronic medical records, cutting-edge treatments, better prevention, is very thin gruel. It’s like saying you’re going to cut the deficit through eliminating waste and fraud. All of those things are good, but none of them are going to make enough difference to change the health care problems this country faces. And we’re doing all these things already, by the way. How come the problems are getting worse?

And his “big government takeover” cliché is just that. Sir, friends don’t try to scare friends with silly distortions of their opponents’ positions.

I have more than a little familiarity with health care policy. And I remember the last election, when I read several of President Bush’s speeches specifically for his ideas on health care. They were essentially identical to what McCain is proposing.

So, again, here’s your Republican candidate: “More of the Same McCain.”