What a compelling apperance from President Obama before a joint session of congress last night! If you haven't seen it CSPAN has the video here.
In a speech that at times was passionate, confrontational, soothing and angry the President tried to return a sense of urgency to the debate over health care reform. There wasn't much new (I'd say his sudden openness to tort reform, for instance, will amount to very little in the end) and he may not have made the firm committment to the public option the Left would have liked. But the president may have done what he most needed to do at this stage of the game - he showed some leadership. And determination. And a willingness to join the fight. Surprisingly, that's what's been missing from this debate. Congress and the public have been slugging it out over health care but President Obama has been staying above the fray. And he'll never get anything done like that.
In fact, I'd say the Obama we saw last night was the closest he's come to being the man America saw on the campaign trail. Someone who believed we could get things done in Washington. The "Yes We Can" guy.
Does that mean health care's going to get done? I wouldn't bet on it. At least not in the way the President (and the Speaker and the Senate Majority Leader) originally envisioned it. But the President made clear last night that he's going to fight for reform and that guarantees a battle that will keep our attention throughout the Fall. It will be interesting.
As for Rep. Joe Wilson's outburst, I posted quite a bit about that on my Twitter feed (www.twitter.com/chrismayphilly). Not much more to be said. The President accepted his apology today and voters in his district seem largely supportive. But let's hope the debate can be a bit more high-minded moving forward.
Finally, while the President was a bit edgy last night and seemed too eager to point fingers at his opponents at times, I did think the last five minutes or so of his speech were amazing. I'm talking about the section where he pays tribute to Ted Kennedy. Watch him. His demeanor changes. His voice softens. The atmosphere in the room grows solemn. Setting aside politics for a moment, It's magical. Check it out and see if you don't agree.