Obama's "BIG" Speech

"Well the time for bickering is over. The time for games has passed."

In other words, "Shut up, he explained."

The President did have an opportunity last night. He could have "hit the reset button" on the health care debate, but acknowledging the legitimacy of the critiques leveled at his plan. He could have said, "message received" and pledged to throw out this bill and work to come up with one that could truly win bipartisan support.

He chose not to. Instead, all those town hall protests were merely "bickering." They were games played by cynical politicians. He accused Sarah Palin of outright lying.

What is he thinking? Mere hours before his speech, a key Senate Democrat declared the public option dead in the Senate. Neither the President nor anyone on his team are stupid. They know the score. They know the opposition.  

Instead, what we are seeing is more proof of this Administration's radicalism. We should not be surprised. When a candidate declares that his goal is "fundamental transformation," you should believe him.

The question is not what the Republicans will do. The question is how much Congressional Democrats fear their leadership. That will determine whether Obama's health care reform lives or dies. Apparently, that's the "Chicago Way."