Senator Kerry became exercised yesterday because a chart that's only appeared in the Medicare Trust Fund Report three times wasn't there this year. To him, it "proves" once again that Mr. Bush is a lying liar -- as is the common wisdom among the cognoscenti of the left.

Whatever the explanation, Medicare administrator Dr. Mark McClellan says Mr. Kerry is missing the point. The chart pictures how much of each Social Security check your average recipient will spend on Medicare premiums -- a percentage that will grow under the new Medicare revisions. But at the same time, the out-of-pocket costs of oldsters will decrease. According to Dr. McClellan, "The result is seniors are paying a lot less on out-of-pocket costs overall."

Obviously, the real solution is to curb the forces driving medical costs up, one of which is lawsuits by guys like John Edwards. A little conflict of interest on this issue in the Kerry camp, perhaps? Mr. Bush has already proposed reforms in this area.