It always worries me when powerful organizations with a clear bias on the issues get involved in "conversations" with the public about the issues, because the results of those conversations tends to involve the agenda originally being pushed by the organization. In this case, I am talking about AARP, an organization that led the fight against market-based reforms to Social Security and which is now actively advocating for government-run or at least mandated universal health care.

The conversation in this case is about health care and there is a coalition called Divided We Fail which includes AARP, NFIB, and a host of other business and labor groups with the goal of "getting people talking about medical care and retirement security so political candidates will talk about both issues in 2008 and focus on them after Election Day."

Now, it certainly seems to me that the so-called conversation about health care has been going on for quite some time now and I am always concerned when conservative organizations lend cover to leftist organizations like AARP, but the Divided We Fail effort will certainly have an impact.