Right Wing Congressman Supports Single Payer (!?)

I suppose it should not surprise me that a right-wing Republican would be a self-contradicting idiot (from TPM):

[MSNBC's] Shuster accused Republicans of supporting insurers, [Rep. John] Shadegg [R-AZ] balked.

"No we don't! You guys keep saying that, but I'm not the guy pushing the bill that says we should compel people to buy insurance from the for-profit guys. That's the Democrats," he said.

Then, after some back and forth with Shuster: "I would support single-payer."

"You would support a government-run medical system?" Shuster asked.

"Absolutely," Shadegg said. "I would support forcing American insurance companies to compete. Right now they have a monopoly."

He also said that the best way to pay for those with pre-existing conditions is to "spread their costs among the healthy, among the taxpayers."

On his web site, Shadegg is described as "known for his strong advocacy for free market health care reform" and once compared single-payer to Soviet gulags.

Go figure. (Might take a while, because it doesn't add up). Interesting, though, almost despite himself, he actually was giving at least the core of a case for single-payer. I guess the essential logic of compassion somehow penetrated the fog of his mean-spirited ideology.