From CNN:
WASHINGTON — President Obama is considering giving a major speech detailing what he would like to see included in a bill to overhaul health care, a senior White House aide said Wednesday.
Senior advisor David Axelrod told CNN that the president is looking at the possibility of a speech as “one of his options” in pushing forward his health care agenda after returning next week from vacation at Camp David, Maryland.
Obama has outlined broad principles for what he would like in health care legislation, but he has left most details to leaders in Congress. Now, White House aides said, the dynamic has changed.
“We’re entering a new season,” Axelrod said. “It’s time to synthesize and harmonize these strands and get this done.”
Another administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity when discussing strategy, said the new phase was “driven in part by the actions of some in the GOP,” including Sens. Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Mike Enzi of Wyoming.
The official added the White House believes those actions indicate that these two key Republicans, who are part of a bipartisan group negotiating a health care bill, “are essentially walking away from the table.”
