One of the central tenets of our platform is that, in the richest nation in the world, there is no reason that anyone should go without health coverage. In his op-ed in today's New York Times, Paul Krugman offers further support for our call.

The article cites a study just released by the Commonwealth Fund, which found that of non-elderly Americans making between $20,000-$40,000 a year, 41% did not have health coverage for all or part of 2005. Further, the survey found that many of the uninsured were faced with the choice of cutting corners and not getting the care they needed (lack of insurance leads to 18,000 unnecessary American deaths each year), or going without basic necessities.

Our campaign continues to gain the attention of those in the know. This week's Nation features an article by John Nichols on the slew of incumbent Democrats facing primary challenges primarily as a result of their continued support of the Iraq War and the Bush agenda in general.

The article notes: "In New York, former National Writers Union president Jonathan Tasini is stepping up his long-shot bid to displace likely 2008 presidential contender Hillary Clinton"

Our campaign has frequently and strenuously hammered home the point that this campaign is about the war and the soul of the Democratic party.

I was drawn to this week's Rolling Stone, by its cover, which posed two questions I was eager to learn the answer to: Is George Bush the worst president in history (the answer: quite possibly), and is the new Bruce Springsteen CD worth checking out (the answer: of course). But it was another article that proved to be the must read of the issue, and one that I will not soon forget.

The article, by Paul Solotaroff, tells the story of Iraq Sgt. Scott Thorne, who, in September of 2004, was shot in the skull while in combat and remarkably survived. The article details the effects of his injury, both physically (he's partially blinded, suffers from seizures and has trouble stringing sentences of more that 5 words together), and on his loved ones (his wife and he divorced and his mother has been forced to leave her job to care for both her son and granddaughter).

Today's announcement that Scott McClellan is stepping down as press secretary and that Karl Rove will see a reduced role in terms of determining policy, is welcome news. After all, McClellan has spent the last 3 plus years trying to avoid answering any questions the press asks of him (and then not answering truthfully when actually taking a question), while Rove has brought playing dirty to a new art form. However as Howard Fineman notes, shuffling the deck isn't going to save this administration; only changing policy will, and if the last 6 years have taught us anything, it is that we won't be seeing a change in policy anytime soon.

On this Easter Sunday, our campaign would just like to take a moment to say thanks to all our friends and supporters for everything you do for our campaign. Your support continues to inspire and motivate us everyday and remind us why our campaign and the issues we're raising must continue to be pressed all across the state. Happy holidays to all!