A hero is dead. Put the flags at half-mast. During his time on the national stage, he surprised us by coming out of nowhere to win by a huge margin; he earned our respect with his grace and style; and he made us believe when he ran again. Then, he made us face tragedy when he fell; and when he could not go on any more, his struggle made us all stronger. Thank you, Barbaro. Our nations mourns.

Put down today by euthanasia, the horse that captured the country’s spirit and imagination has gone on to greener pastures. His six-and-a-half length victory at the Kentucky Derby lives vividly on in our minds, as does the images of his freak accident in the opening moments of the Preakness.

Over the past nine painful months, Barbaro has struggled to overcome the shattered right hind leg that would have killed a normal horse. Many complications arose, with the worst being when he developed a deep hoof abscess in that same leg. Unfortunately, Barbaro’s HMO, Kaiser Permanente, did not and still does not cover deep foot abscesses, casting the spotlight on a number of pressing medical issues facing this country.

From the beginning, Barbaro’s owners Gretchen and Roy Jackson spoke out in favor of socialized medical coverage for all privately-owned racing horses. This would help share the burden across all of society of keeping a prize animal like Barbaro in the luxury life to which he had become accustomed. The argument goes, as many bandwagon politicians put it, that everyone benefits from healthy and happy horses running in daily races for major gambling syndicates. If everyone benefits from the healthy horses, then why shouldn’t everyone help pay for it?

With Barbaro making little progress over the last few months, a second hot-button issue came to the nation’s attention: legalized euthanasia. With the country divided on the issue, Barbaro’s owners argued that he was in pain and it was unlikely for that pain to go away. He might survive the deep hoof abscess but the rest of his life would be miserable. Barbaro’s own thoughts on the issue were unknown, but when members of Congress discovered the Jacksons’ plan to put Barbaro down, they organized a candlelight vigil at the capitol. Congress even considered intervening in an official capacity.

While a number of protestors gathered outside the medical facility, Alex Solis, a jockey, probably said it best, expressing the nation’s deep frustration and sorrow: “It is very sad because he fought so hard for his life for so long… I’m sure a lot of people had tried to do the best for this horse, but sometimes they’re going to be in such pain. It’s unfortunate.”

Yet, even with Barbaro’s passing, the issues raised by his life will not go away. Beyond the medical issues facing this country, we must also come to grips with the fact that the media has finally shown its hand. There is no liberal or conservative bias; no, it is the inveterate gamblers and ten-year old girls who are in control, both groups desperate for the latest ounce of information about their favorite pony.

For evidence of this, look no further than network television. Since the Preakness, Fox Broadcasting has been developing a reality show based on Barbaro’s prolonged recovery. Instead, with the 4-year old colt’s death, that footage will be repurposed and worked into the sweeps episodes for House, MD.

In other news, a suicide bomb went off in Israel, killing three; Ari Fleischer contradicted I. Lewis Libby Jr. in the Valerie Plame Case; and Iran announced its plans for deeper economic and political involvement in Iraq.