The United States government should not provide Viagra to sex offenders. That should be a very easy statement to agree with, even for Democrats who strongly favor the far-left Obama agenda. But thanks to Senator Tom Coburn (R-Oklahoma), Senate Democrats may have to publicly vote against an amendment to health care legislation entitled "No Erectile Dysfunction Drugs To Sex Offenders."

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That amendment is just one of nine to the reconciliation bill filed today by Senator Coburn. If any amendment to the bill is passed, it must go back to the House for another vote so Democrats would most likely want to vote against them all. But imagine the inevitable 2010 campaign ads blaring Democratic Senator X voted against prohibiting coverage of Viagra and other Erectile Dysfunction medications to convicted child molesters, rapists, and sex offenders.

This is not the only politically sticky vote that will be necessitated by Senator Coburn's proposed amendments. A vote against the others would be a vote against such hot button election issues as:

• limiting the size of government
  
  
• guaranteeing that Americans who like their current health care plan can keep it
  
  
• implementing ideas that eliminate waste, fraud and abuse
  
  
• ensuring health care providers are not forced to participate in abortions or discriminated against because they choose not to perform abortions
  
  
• exempting all Class I medical devices such as band-aids, wheelchairs, hospital beds and surgical gowns from new federal taxation

You can view all of the Coburn amendments on the Senator's website and we can expect other Republican senators to file more amendments as the process goes on.

The Obama machine is pressing Senate Democrats to oppose all Republican amendments no matter how morally repugnant, fiscally irresponsible or politically suicidal such a "no" vote might be. Their goal continues to be the passage of hyper-partisan, big government legislation while ignoring the ideas of Republicans, the will of the American people and it seems common decency.