Obama Squelches His Truth Whisperers

By Ruth Marcus
Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Does President Obama care more about passing health-care reform that truly gets costs under control, or more about getting reelected? Does he care more about getting the nation's fiscal house in order, or more about getting reelected?

Right now, the evidence points to getting reelected. Exhibit A came at Monday's White House briefing: 45 minutes of press secretary Robert Gibbs restating the president's "clear commitment in the clearest terms possible, that he's not raising taxes on those who make less than $250,000 a year."

Duh, some of you may say. Self-preservation is the first instinct of any politician. Breaking promises and raising taxes is a combination that is toxic to electoral hopes, and it's naive to expect Obama to walk the tax plank in the midst of the health-care fight. "

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/04/AR2009080402423.html?hpid=opinionsbox1