Obama postpones Asia trip to focus on health care

[Botany]

Source: A.P.

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is postponing his trip to Asia until June so he can stay in Washington for a possible Sunday vote on his health
care overhaul plan.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs says Obama has called the leaders of Indonesia and Australia to express his regret that he will not be able to visit their nations.
Obama had already pushed the trip back once, delaying his orginally scheduled March 18 departure until Sunday so he could help Democrats on Capitol Hill rally l
ast-minute votes for the plan.

House Democrats say they are on track to vote Sunday on a $940 billion health care bill that will expand coverage to millions.

Read more: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/top/all/6919064.html

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Obama is going to sign the bill and there is nothing that the right can do to stop it.
Or he might be staying to see Ohio U. beat Georgetown. :rofl:

[kestrel91316]

1. I'll be interested to see how many DUers leave in a huff when HCR passes.......

So I cancelled my world cruise.....

:rofl:

[global1]

2. I Wonder If There Is Some Gamesmanship Going On Here.....

I'm thinking this trip was postponed on purpose to make the Repugs and MSM think that maybe they don't yet feel real confident that this bill will pass. Basically keep the Repugs off guard. Keep them thinking that this will go down in flames. Make them overconfident.

[pattmarty]

3. He's staying so he can twist arms and hold the fort. They don't yet.............

...............have the votes, that's why he's not going. I'll add that in my opinion it's a shitty bill and shouldn't be passed. My guess today is it will pass though.

[wmbrew0206]

6. Exactly.

President Obama is burning political capital by pushing back the meetings with foreign leaders he was set to meet with. Pushing back the trip once, is understandable. Doing it twice and the second time pushing the trip back to June, is really going to tick them off.

The only reason this would happen is if the votes aren't there yet and the President is needed to continue to twist arms and promise fund-raising trips.

[ConcernedCanuk]

4. and those sitting at home believe this?

.
.
.

I think not.

Millions still seek their healthcare out of country

How can they not see that the USA still spends more money on warring with other nations than taking care of their own at home.

Ask the vets.

I know from first hand experience having lived in the USA and visiting some of their vet hospitals how well the USA takes care of it's own.

It was disgusting;

and pitiful.

That was in 1979

hasn't changed.

(sigh)

[WriteDown]

5. Will it be laser-like focus?

If so, then we have nothing to worry about this ever passing. Kind of like the laser-like focus on jobs.

[Name removed]

8. Deleted message

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[groundloop]

7. Good for the President. He's sending a signal that this is important.

This bill (even with the House "fixes") isn't perfect, but it still needs to pass.