I thought it was just me at first, but apparently Schultz saw it too: One high point of President Obama's speech was watching him blow off US Rep. Tim Murphy whilst entering the chamber for his speech before Congress last night. I wish I had video -- can anyone point me toward some?

(Re: Schultz's some-scars-don't-heal remark about our cover story a couple weeks back, I'll just direct readers to this long-winded defense.)

Did Murphy take offense? Here are excerpts from Murphy's response to the speech:

We must get our economy moving again, but we can't move forward if our first step is to go further into debt, overspend and raise taxes ... I heard from one small business owner who said he was not sure if his business would last through the year. Sales are down and he is now using his savings to pay the bills. But, like everyone else, his savings and investments have fallen and he has barely enough reserves to continue. He told me, 'If you raise my taxes I won't make it.'

That, my friends, is some convincing evidence. Some guy somewhere told Tim Murphy something about how he doesn't like taxes. Tim Murphy supposedly went out and found "one small business owner" who told Murphy exactly what he already believed.  What an amazing coincidence!

If this is how Murphy researches important questions, it's no wonder he and other Republicans found that WMD-in-Iraq evidence so compelling. 

More from Murphy:

[W]e have to work together on fixing healthcare in America, not just financing a broken system. We need to reestablish the doctor patient relationship that is focused on affordable, accessible, quality healthcare. Neither side of the aisle will get this right if we keep arguing about who pays the bills instead [of] what we are paying for.

So it doesn't matter who pays the bills? A government-run system for all then!

In fact, the evidence for the popularity of such a system is overwhelming. A small business owner I know recently told me that because of high healthcare costs, he's not sure his business will last through the year. He told me, "Unless you nationalize the healthcare system -- giving me and my employees the same kind of government-provided health insurance that Tim Murphy (R-PA) enjoys -- I won't make it."

And who is Tim Murphy to question the wisdom of the people?