Obama's health-care pitch

President Obama didn't "break major news" in his televised health-care forum on Wednesday, said Jonathan Cohn in The New Republic, but he hammered home what may be the most important point in the debate on reform. "Rising costs—left unchecked—are going to destroy the health care system." So even if you're perfectly happy with your current coverage—and oppose Obama's proposed public-insurance option now—some day soon "your plan will simply become less comprehensive and/or more expensive." Or you'll lose it altogether.

No, the most important point in Obama's health-care infomercial—courtesy of ABC—was this, said Ed Morrissey in Hot Air. When pressed, Obama abandoned his claim that he's pushing for healt-care-for-all out of fairness, and said he'd seek the "best care" for his family instead of pledging to be bound by the limited health-care options his plan would impose on others. "Oopsie! So ObamaCare for thee, but not for me?"

"The American people want health-care reform, and the battle of words, images and narratives has begun," said Drew Westen in The Washington Post. If opponents of the plan make this a debate about socialized medicine—something most Americans oppose—they win. If President Obama wants to come out on top, he and his party will have to sell this reform as something every American can get behind—giving every family access to a family doctor.

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