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sponsorship
Obama was back in campaign form tonight—fighting back, and dead
serious about it. And there were notes of his inaugural address, when
he called on Americans by invoking “the character of the country” and
our sense of responsibility. And the president soared, in that lovely
ode to Teddy Kennedy at the end, which you’re right, Hanna, went straight for liberals’ hearts.
But on the specifics, on the substance, I heard more tacking to the
center than love for the left. Obama promised that people who don’t
have employer-based coverage, or Medicaid or Medicare, will be able to
buy affordable coverage on an exchange. But then he finessed the public
option. He nodded to its value, but he also said it was only a means to
an end. He will not insist on it. He’ll leave it for another day. Maybe
four years from now.