Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
–As Kate mentioned, parliamentarian Alan Frumin ruled early this morning that two minor clauses relating to Pell Grant funding in the health care reconciliation bill don’t make the cut for budget rules. It’s a minor hiccup and won’t radically alter the legislation. The Senate is expected …
Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy
–That’s what a signature with 22 pens looks like. Here’s who get them.
–Probably the most touted immediate effect of the health care bill, a measure preventing insurance companies from denying children coverage on the basis of preexisting conditions, may not kick in as advertised …
Official White House photo by Pete Souza
–The day Democrats’ health care legislation is due to be signed into law, Republicans are continuing to push the idea of repeal. At least 10 GOP state attorneys general are lining up legal challenges.
—Marc Ambinder writes, “the point of the lawsuits isn’t legal — it’s political. It …
Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
–Democrats just released preliminary CBO numbers on the last health care tweaks: $940 billion price tag, deficit reduction by $130 billion in the first decade and $1.2 trillion in the second 10 years. That squares with their goals and — assuming the Rules markup goes smoothly, they have …
Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
–As Michael mentioned, the latest NBC/Wall Street Journal poll (pdf) shows a little movement on health reform opinions in Obama’s favor, but it is mostly consistent with recent surveys showing a nation split on the merits of the plan. Pollster Peter Hart suggests the 21-point enthusiasm …
Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
–As Karen and Jay mentioned, all signs point to Speaker Pelosi using the “self-executing rule” to deem the Senate health care bill passed without a full vote on anything but the reconciliation package of fixes. House Dems really don’t want to have an “aye” for the Senate bill’s warts on …
Photo courtesy of Ben Nelson’s office
–After so many months of vitriolic debate and soap-operatic drama, one might be skeptical when they hear this is the week health reform faces its ultimate test. But it is. House markup of the reconciliation package is scheduled to begin at 3 pm today. The final CBO score is forthcoming. The …
Official White House photo by Pete Souza
–President Obama has decided to delay his trip to Asia, originally scheduled to begin March 18, in order to work on health care. He is now slated to depart March 21. The window is still tight; the House has just nine days before he leaves to pass the Senate bill and the final CBO score has …
Retiring Rep. Patrick Kennedy, a Rhode Island Democrat, is clearly upset with the media’s morbid fascination with Tickle-Me-Massa. He feels that this episode is robbing newspaper inches and front-page real estate from the coverage our brave colleagues are producing out of Afghanistan. And when I say upset, I mean really, really, really, …
Official White House Photo by Pete Souza via Flickr
–President Obama heads to Arcadia University just outside Philly today to continue his closing argument on health reform. There’s not much in the way of new material, but I expect him to focus on one thing: urgency. He’s looking to keep the momentum going for the final push and …
Meanwhile, on the other side of Capitol Hill, Dennis Kucinich introduces legislation to end the war in Afghanistan:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwQKfwAGgEA&feature=player_embedded]
–Robert Gibbs insists today’s health care summit won’t be “kabuki theater.” Biden goes off message and says it might.
–Mike Allen has an excerpt of Pelosi’s opening remarks.
–Mark Blumenthal reminds us that not too many people actually watch these things.
–It looks like Michael Bennet’s public option letter may have panned …
Some excellent reporting from our colleague Tim McGirk about the complicated relationship between the Pakistanis and the Taliban–and the recent capture of Mullah Abdel Gani Baradar, the Taliban military commander who may have been on the outs with Mullah Omar.
Meanwhile, the New York Times is reporting that the Pakistanis seem to …
