Reconcile the Bill

Remember before the election and Rush Limbaugh was telling us all to watch out for Barack Obama, the ruthless machine pol from Chicago?

Well, watch out.

Chicago Barack is hosting a nationally-televised health care summit tomorrow at the White House. He's invited every influential Republican to come over with their ideas to fix health insurance. He says he's ready to listen.

I always love it when you can pull off a Brazilian jiu-jitsu move that takes all the energy of your opponent and flips it back around on them. I try to do this all the time in court cases. It works great. Just when your opponent is sticking it to you the hardest, you pull back a little and watch him fall flat on his face.

WHITE HOUSE HEALTH CARE SUMMIT

SCENE I

Barack: Step back.

Republicans: Fall on face.

Republicans have been whining for months that they haven't been included in this health care redesign. It's been too closed-door, they said. Too wonky. Too inside-beltway. It's taking over "one-sixth of the economy," they claim, and isn't bipartisan.

Well, come on in and have a seat at the bluff-calling table.

Chicago Barack has done this before—to John McCain, when Mr. McCain "suspended" his campaign to supposedly deal with the economy. President Bush called a big meeting—presumably to let McCain shine as the leader-to-be, while the young community organizer from Chicago sat in the back, trying to poke his ears above the crowd.

At the end of the meeting, Chicago Barack spoke up. In jiu-jitsu style, he asked McCain for his thoughts. Problem was, McCain didn't have any. Obama even chuckled. Even Bush Sec. of Treasury Hank Paulson was blown away by Obama's brashness and McCain's bumbling.

Now we're there again. Republicans are hard charging after winning their 41st Senate seat (the least powerful minority in a generation). Health care is dead, they said.

Chicago Barack is talking about pushing health care through on a so-called reconciliation vote—bypassing Scott Brown's 41st Senate vote.

That's how they reconcile things in Chicago.