American health care executive and conservative writer Michael Johns, a former White House speechwriter and Heritage Foundation policy analyst, said today that expanded consumer choice, market competition and quality care incentives each represent keys to solving the most serious challenges currently confronting the American health care system. Among these challenges, Johns said, are governmental regulatory barriers that currently prohibit Americans from obtaining health insurance policies outside of their respective states, and insufficient competition among health care providers and payers that inhibits consistently affordable and exceptionally high quality health care for all Americans, including the 47 million who are currently uninsured.

Johns said that presumptive Republican Presidential nominee John McCain's health care proposals, released April 29, 2008, represent a comprehensive and thoughtful health care plan worthy of broad political support.

Johns will discuss the current state of American health care and remedies to it, along with latest developments in Russia's ongoing aggression in Georgia, during his weekly appearance on The Warren Michaels show this evening, August 20, 2008, from 7:30pm EDT/4:30pm PDT to 9pm EDT/6pm PDT. The show, which is broadcast live and by replay in most nations of the world, can be heard at: The Warren Michaels show, August 20, 2008 broadcast.

Conservative writer and Republican strategist Michael Johns, a former White House speechwriter and Heritage Foundation foreign policy analyst, said today that Russia's ongoing military aggression against Georgia potentially represents a major threat to the global peace that has largely characterized the last 17 years of post-Cold War era relations between Washington and Moscow. Decisive American diplomatic, humanitarian and potentially military responses are warranted, he says, to ensure the defense of Georgia's territorial integrity and its promising and successful democratically-elected government, led by President Mikheil Saakashvili.

Most concerning in Russia's recent aggression, Johns says, is that it appears to represent a return to the expansionist and militarily aggressive tactics that characterized Moscow's foreign policy during the Cold War, and that Russia likely views its current aggression in Georgia as a test case for whether such regional aggression will be resisted or tolerated by the United States and its allies. As with Georgia, which has proven an ally of the United States and western democracies in recent years, Moscow has developed a cantankerous relationship with Ukraine, another democratic ally of the United States that borders Russia. This past spring, for instance, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin threatened to "dismember" the Ukranian peninsula of Crimea.

Johns will discuss his support for President George W. Bush's response earlier today to Russia's regional aggression, along with other current events topics, this evening, August 13, 2008, from 9pm EDT/6pm PDT to 10:30pm EDT/7:30pm PDT, during his weekly appearance on BlogTalkRadio's The Warren Michaels show. The broadcast is available live and by replay in most nations of the world at: The Warren Michaels show.

By Michael Johns

Predictions of the demise of the American economy are, regrettably, routine these days, but don't be fooled. They also are vastly overrated. For the past six months at least, we have been subjected to routine predictions of sluggish growth, diminished productivity among small and mid-size capitalized companies, and euphoric fascination with the growth prospects in the so-called BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China).

Not to take anything away from the fascinating promise of these four nations, but this week's development: the Dow Jones Industrial Average blowing right through 13,000 sends the message that American leadership is alive and well in the global economy. Analysts underestimated first quarter earnings for a vast number of leading American companies, perhaps convinced that the sub-prime mortgage squeeze and other pressures would curtail our economic growth. They too shorted the promise of this American economy.

What is behind Dow 13,000? Many things. The vibrant optimism of the American consumer, the prospects for a stabilization of the conflict in Iraq (there actually is progress), and a validation of some of the domestic and economic policies of this administration. President George W. Bush is suffering from predictably diminished approval ratings that have confronted nearly every U.S. President fortunate enough to earn a second term, but this economy under his watch deserves greater praise: nearly full employment, continued global leadership in many important industries, and now a record in the most closely watched stock index in the world. It's not a small accomplishment and is certainly a tribute to the continued promise of the American dream and at least partly to the generally free market, pro-growth policies of this grossly under-appreciated Bush administration, which certainly is not the only factor behind Dow 13,000 but, especially in its support for sensible tax relief on dividends (paid by most Dow stocks)--has played a hugely supportive role, attracting capital to Dow equities.

Michael Johns, a health care executive, served previously as a White House speechwriter to President George H. W. Bush and a policy analyst at The Heritage Foundation.  He can be reached at: michaeldjohns@gmail.com.