Obama delaying Asia trip by at least 3 days to get health care reform done.

[babylonsister]

Will provide link when I find one.

[AngryAmish]

1. sweet baby jeesus, just pass the thing

this really looks like amateur hour now. clownish.

[babylonsister]

2. That's precisely why he's not going anywhere til it's a done deal. nt

[ShortnFiery]

11. That's similar to what they said about the Iraq invasion - Just do it!

That worked out well, didn't it? :crazy:

[Clio the Leo]

3. "FLOTUS and the girls not going...."

(per Robert Gibbs.)

I feel sorry for them because I know this was timed to go along with their spring break .... but I think this is a GOOD sign. He WANTS to get it done before he leaves. By this time next week, we could be on the verge of an historic bill passage!

[wndycty]

12. Isn't that FUCKED UP? The fact that the media & some in Congress. . .

. . .made them an issue?

Seriously, by making the family an issue and portraying this as nothing more than a family vacation is crossing all sorts of lines.

[mucifer]

4. I hope you are right. I don't see any info on this in the major papers cnn.com or msnbc.com

but then they do care more about massa and corey haim than the nation's health.

[babylonsister]

13. LINK: Obama delays trip to Indonesia to focus on healthcare battle

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/86393-obama-delays-indonesia-trip-to-focus-on-healthcare


Obama delays trip to Indonesia to focus on healthcare battle
By Michael O'Brien - 03/12/10 09:06 AM ET


President Barack Obama will delay his planned trip to southeast Asia to focus on healthcare.

Obama was set to leave March 18, and the White House hoped the House would approve the Senate's healthcare bill by that time.

But House leaders have pushed back at the deadline, criticizing Gibbs and White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel in the process.

House leaders also do not appear to have whipped the 216 votes they need from their caucus to win the vote either, and a Thursday decision by the Senate parliamentarian has made their task more difficult.

The parliamentarian ruled that Obama must sign the Senate healthcare bill into law before Congress can approve a package of changes to that bill demanded by the House. Those changes would be considered under budget reconciliation rules in the Senate that prevent Republicans from filibustering the bill.

Obama's decision to delay his trip to Indonesia and Australia by three days suggests the president's involvement will be necessary to move things forward.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs confirmed the delay on Twitter:

The President will delay leaving for Indonesia and Australia - will now leave Sunday - the First Lady and the girls will not be on the trip

[Raine1967]

5. This is ALL I can find right now:

http://www.startribune.com/politics/87455482.html?elr=KArks8c7PaP3E77K_3c::D3aDhUec7PaP3E77K_0c::D3aDhUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU

Don't bother clicking -- This is all the text! :P

Obama delaying Asia trip from March 18 to March 21 to work on health care

Associated Press
Last update: March 12, 2010 - 7:58 AM

WASHINGTON - Obama delaying Asia trip from March 18 to March 21 to work on health care.

[msongs]

6. lol he waited a year, what's another 3 days or so nt

[Zywiec]

7. What a difference a day makes

Asked to clarify his comments about the health care deadline, which he had set as March 18, when Obama leaves for Indonesia, Gibbs says: "If it takes a couple of days, we'll be happy to have it passed then, too. ... Even if he's already gone."

"There are no updates" on the planned departure, he says, adding that Obama wouldn't need to be in the country for Congress to act on the health care bill. (2:02 p.m.)

Gibbs rejects speculation that Obama's trip to Indonesia is more of a vacation or opportunity to visit his old home. "It's not a vacation at all," he says, adding that the trip won't be put off to finish health care before he leaves.

http://www.politico.com/politico44/perm/0310/gibbs_briefs_on_march_11_2010_4f771d9f-558f-4674-8b8d-a49cb463512c.html

[flpoljunkie]

8. TPM has the story...

President Obama will delay his trip to Indonesia and Australia by several days to see health care reform over the finish line, the White House announced today. An aide confirmed the president won't leave March 18 as planned and instead will stay with the expectation the House will be voting on the Senate health care bill.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, who for days has insisted the schedule would not change, detailed the news on his Twitter feed this morning.

"The President will delay leaving for Indonesia and Australia - will now leave Sunday - the First Lady and the girls will not be on the trip," Gibbs wrote.

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/03/obama-delaying-trip-for-health-care.php?ref=fpbrk

[Jennicut]

9. Whatever it takes, if he needs to be there to get this done that he needs to do that.

[HughMoran]

10. Heh - good. Puts pressure on Congress to 'get it done'

I like the move.