Golly! I'm sure excited about what the teleprompter will tell us tonight!
(hat tip: Exurban League)
James Taranto has the pre-bloviation buzz and he's all excited too:
Are you as excited as we are? Can you feel the electricity in the air? Tonight's the big night! President Obama is giving an address to a joint session of Congress, in an effort to rally support for . . . well, we're not sure what exactly.
The Hill quotes "a Democratic leadership aide who sat in on an administration briefing Tuesday" and who "said that while Obama will offer support Wednesday for a public option, the president will not insist on it":
"He's going to say it's the best tool for reducing costs," the aide said. "I think he's going to be a bit noncommittal."The Associated Press reports that the president himself told ABC's "Good Morning America": "We do intend to get something done this year." Politico puts it this way:
Obama will give a STRONG ENDORSEMENT to a public option--or government health-insurance plan--as a route to choice and competition, using phrases similar to his Labor Day speech in Cincinnati. But aides are sticking to their longtime plan: He will NOT draw a line in the sand, and will NOT say that a bill wouldn't be real reform without it. Obama thinks it would be hard to get to true choice and competition without a public option or a fallback to a public option (the so-called trigger, which would kick in based on the insurance market). But his remarks will leave WIGGLE ROOM FOR HORSETRADING as the bill moves through Congress.So he's making a STRONG ENDORSEMENT, albeit a noncommittal one that leaves WIGGLE ROOM FOR HORSETRADING, because he intends to get "something" done.
Remember during the campaign when Obama's critics faulted him for having voted "present" so often as a legislator? In retrospect, it's clear that this line of attack was totally unfair. Voting "present" was bold and decisive leadership compared with this.
Ole Barry would really love to be Chairman Mao, but doesn't want to get his hands dirty which is good news for us average citizens. For some realistic analysis of Obamacare see Sarah Palin's op-ed in today's WSJ.
