There is nothing President Obama wants more dearly than to have a few Republican votes in support of healthcare reform.

Back when he thought he faced a choice between a bill that gives him 100% of what he wants with 52 votes or one that gives him 85% of what he wants with 70 votes, it was a no-brainer to gratuitously compromise the integrity of our future healthcare system in return for those oh-so-precious Republican votes.

When the President lists his “Republican friends on Capitol Hill who are sincerely trying to figure out if they can find a health care bill that works”, as he did on Tuesday, first and foremost is “Chuck Grassley of Iowa”. Grassley is allegedly spearheading the drive to “come up with a plan that could get both Republican and Democratic support.”

A more glowing testimonial comes from someone who knows him a whole lot better. Roll Call talks of “the stability and strength of the relationship between Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus” and Grassley, a relationship that goes back years. Baucus describes Grassley, and his role in healthcare reform, thusly:

“In this line of work you meet a lot of elected officials and Chuck Grassley is among the finest. He takes an honest, pragmatic approach to solving problems and the results are clear — he delivers,” Baucus said in a statement. “While we don’t always agree, I never doubt that Chuck always has the best interest of Iowa and the entire nation at heart. As we work to craft meaningful health care reform legislation that lowers costs and ensures quality care, I couldn’t ask for a better partner than my friend Chuck Grassley.”

So here’s Mr. Snake-in-the-Grass-ley at a town hall meeting in his home state of Iowa yesterday, expressing his utmost sincerity about working with Democrats to craft meaningful healthcare reform legislation, keeping the best interest of the entire nation at heart:

“There is some fear because in the House bill, there is counseling for end-of-life,” Grassley said. “And from that standpoint, you have every right to fear. You shouldn’t have counseling at the end of life. You ought to have counseling 20 years before you’re going to die. You ought to plan these things out. And I don’t have any problem with things like living wills. But they ought to be done within the family. We should not have a government program that determines if you’re going to pull the plug on grandma.”

Grassley sees healthcare reform legislation threatened by out-of-control disinformation about euthanasia and death panels. And since he can speak with some authority as one of the main negotiators of consensus legislation, he decides that he better lend some credence to this ugly garbage. All in the best interest of the entire nation, of course. Or maybe it was the state of Iowa that was uppermost in his heart?

And this is the guy with the lead role in Obama’s recurring healthcare reform wet dreams? (Nullus.)

The Huffington Post describes Grassley’s conduct as “(perpetuating) a particularly outrageous untruth”. I call it taking a dump. On President Obama’s face. And that of the entire nation.

And of course, Grassley can afford to make such a statement only because he’s secure in the knowledge that the mainstream media will never call it out for the despicable, unconscionable, deliberate lie it is.

Imagine a world in which Grassley’s statement would be followed by headlines like: “Grassley Peddles Blatant Lie”. In all the major newspapers in Iowa. In The New York Times, The Washington Post ,The L.A. Times, The Boston Globe and USA Today. On all the wire services. And McClatchy newspapers across the country. On every local news broadcast in Iowa. All the national news network shows. On CNN and MSNBC.

Imagine a world in which we could count on that happening. Imagine that world, and sigh.