Going walkabout: Obama heads back to Blair House (ap photo)
Matt Continenetti of the Weekly Standard argues that Obama is visibly cross after a morning of Republican pushback at the health care summit. We respectfully disagree (which wouldn’t surprise him).
Obama is just tired — his synapses aren’t firing and he’s starting to free associate a little. He called Boehner either “Bonner” or “Bonyer” and didn’t correct himself. It’s more like weariness, not anger or aggravation. He just wanted to get something to eat.
At the mid-point of today’s confab, he was sounding reasonably upbeat, considering how little progress was being made:
“I don’t know if it’s interesting watching it on TV,” said Obama,
walking towards the White House. “But it’s interesting being a part of
it.”
“I think we’re establishing that there are actually some areas of real
agreement,” he said, stopping for a minute outside the gates. “And we’re
starting to focus on what the real disagreements are. If you look at the
issue of how much government should be involved, the argument that the
Republicans are making really isn’t that this is a government takeover
of health care but rather that we’re ensuring the — we’re regulating
the insurance market too much. And that’s a legitimate philosophical
disagreement.”
This summit has consumed political Washington all day, but it was still funny how many pedestrians — and not just tourists — trying to get close to the White House today had no idea why the streets were closed or what was going on. The revelation that today is the health care summit zomg! Drew a lot of vague, blank stares.
