M.J. Rosenberg in top form: whether David Brooks and the neocons like it or not, most "Arab anger about (and sympathy for) Palestinians is utterly genuine."

A Senator in the Book Club? Ron Wyden rejects the idea that we need to wait for a Democratic president to take on health care reform.

He's so good he plays both sides of the argument. Jon Cohn makes the case against single-payer.

And if you're just tuning in to this week's Book Club, a summary of what you've missed.

If you're just tuning in to this week's book club, a quick summary of what you've missed.

Jonathan Cohn started things off urging universal health care supporters to "think big" and not preemptively take single-payer off the table because of an artificial concept of "what's posssible." Also offering starting thoughts, Don McCanne offered numbers to put things in perspective, Roger Hickey argued that voters are sick of tinkering, and Joe Paduda pointed out that traditional lines are being crossed by making the business case for single-payer.

But Jacob Hacker, himself the author of a plan, argued that while Cohn's "thinking big" is good, political and fiscal realities can't be ignored.

Read more »

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Health care expert Jacob Hacker on Jon Cohn's call for "thinking big": reality matters.

Greg Anrig, Jr. warns: beware of conservatives saying nice things about universal health coverage.

Jonathan Cohn kicks off this week's book club making the case for thinking big on health care:

I realize that much of the media elite - and, more broadly, the entire political class - already thinks single-payer is not feasible. But we're not yet at the point of the debate where those boundaries are fixed. This is the time when educating and organizing - both the public and the political class - can actually broaden the political playing field. By preemptively rejecting single-payer, we narrow that field.

Update: You can follow the book club discussion here.

Welcome to the TPMCafe Book Club! This is where we regularly invite authors to come and discuss their most recent works with readers and invited commentators. Past Book Club authors include Thomas Frank, Anthony Shadid, Larry Diamond, George Packer, Ivo Daalder/James Lindsay, Robert Dreyfuss, Chris Mooney, Gene Sperling, Gershom Gorenberg, Peter Beinart, Kevin Phillips, Sidney Blumenthal, Reed Hundt and Anne-Marie Slaughter/John Ikenberry.

This week we'll be discussing Jonathan Cohn's Sick: The Untold Story of America's Health Care Crisis---and the People Who Pay the Price.

In the book, Cohn documents the lives of Americans whose lives have been torn apart by America's broken health care system either because of overworked and underfunded hospitals, the inefficiencies and inequalities of the market-based system, and the weight on business of employer-based insurance. Cohn will argue that those advocating universal care must unapologetically hope and push for the ideal, but be ready to compromise if and when political realities assert themselves.

Debating Cohn will be Jacob Hacker, Ezra Klein, Matthew Holt, Robin Podolsky, Don McCanne, Roger Hickey, Maggie Mahar, Joseph Paduda and Diane Archer. -ahg

Get ready for The Ultimate Health Insurance Throw Down.

The Ultimate Health Insurance Throw Down. The Rumble in the Book Club. The Death Match to Solve the Health Care Crisis.

Alright, I'm still working on a name. But this is big big big.

Sick author Jon Cohn and a team of health care wonk-elites will be joining us at the Book Club this week to sort out just how far the Democrats should go in pushing toward universal health care. Our distinguished group of debaters already includes Jacob Hacker, Ezra Klein, Matthew Holt, Robin Podolsky, Don McCanne, Roger Hickey and Maggie Mahar. Cohn will kick things off tomorrow.

Don't miss this one. Your health (care) may depend on it.

Enjoy the thread.