Conventional wisdom in Washington has already figured out the winners and losers of next week’s White House health care summit. The smart money is on President Obama. The silver-tongued orator will wow C-Span viewers, demonstrating his knack for substantive detail and cool debating style.

The mainstream media has the tactical narrative ready to report as well. Mr. Obama either forces Republicans to compromise and pass some version of health reform, or makes the GOP look like obstructionists.