The fact that the R's are so upset about the president being given time tonight on ABC is enough to make me a little bit happy

EXCLUSIVE: Obama Says His Thinking on Health Care Has 'Evolved'

Obama's health care push continues this week with a primetime event at the White House Wednesday, with ABC's Charlie Gibson and Diane Sawyer set to moderate a nationally televised event called "Questions for the President: Prescription for America." [ABC photo and caption]

by Ken

Tonight at 10pm ET/PT (9pm CT/MT), ABC News is devoting an hour to the president's plan (such as it is at the moment) for health care reform, which has the R's howling (hey, it's what they do), whereas I'm not even sure we're going to find out what exactly he believes in health-care-wise, in the sense of what he's prepared to fight for.

Still, ABC's promo material makes it sound like they're at least making an effort to make this extremely complex subject matter more understandable for the public. How well they do, well, that all remains to be seen.

And I hope someone out there will be watching, because I don't think I'll be able to. Um, isn't that when Bravo has that Top Chefs: Master Chefs thing on?

Okay, I'll confess, because I think it's germane. I'm certainly no expert on either health insurance or health care generally, but I'm going to guess that I know a lot more about it than the average American. And my head hurts so bad from it that I'm not sure I can bear to hear another word. I have a feeling there are a lot of folks in the same boat.

Which is one reason why, in the end, if we get a bill at all, it's almost certainly going to be one hammered to the desires of the biggest money players involved, which in this case would appear to be the insurance companies. These are approximately the last people on earth to whom we should be entrusting our health and well-being. Nevertheless, this is pretty much the way our legislative process works now. And there isn't much indication that the Obama administration has either the will or the knowhow to change it. Certainly not with Master Rahm Emanuel running the White House enforcement operation.

But maybe tonight's show will prove me wrong. Tell me all about it.

I'll have a little more to say on the subject, probably tomorrow -- if the throbbing in my head eases up.


PRESIDENTIAL "INFOMERCIAL"? AN OUTRAGE! (ONLY
RIGHT-WING PREZES SHOULD BE ALLOWED TV TIME!)

Meanwhile from Air America Radio's BreakRoomLive.com with Marc Maron and Sam Seder comes this take on the Republican outrage at ABC's decision to allow the president of the United States air time to explain a policy proposal of his. (What was it that great thinker Sean Hannity said the other day? "Journalism is dead." And he would know, since no individual has done more to kill it.)

I think this i really cute, and also really scary, in that you find youself wondering frequently whether it's a parody or the real thing.



Observation from a wise colleague: "Does anyone else find it ironic that the same people who are going on and on about how ABC should be allowing equal time for an opposing viewpoint are those who believe that the restoration of the Fairness Act would destroy all that is holy and good in this world?"

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