Obama Comes Down From The Mountain

After about three months too long of staying above the health care fray by refusing to pin Congressional Democrats down with specifics, Obama finally will make his move next week when Congress returns.

This time, the President is going to be specific. Next week, President Obama is going to give Democrats a health care plan they can begin to sell.

He plans to list specific goals that any health insurance reform plan that arrives at his desk must achieve, according to Democratic strategists familiar with the plan. Some of these "goals" have already been agreed to, including new anti-discrimination restrictions on insurance companies. Others will be new, including the level of subsidies he expects to give the uninsured so they can buy into the system.

Obama will also specify a "pay for" mechanism he prefers, and will specify an income level below which he does not want to see taxed.

He will insist upon a mechanism to cut costs and increase competition among insurance companies -- and perhaps will even specify a percentage rate -- and he will say that his preferred mechanism remains a government-subsidized public health insurance option, but he will remain agnostic about whether the plan must include a robust public option. Officials won't say whether the president intends to endorse a specific "trigger" mechanism if the competition mechanism fails, but they say he will make it clear that the final bill must contain language that increases competition.

He should have done this in May, frankly. America has wasted months on idiotic diversions and blockades thrown up by the Republicans and the Village. They have controlled the narrative because Obama has refused to take the reins and do so himself. Now that he has to do it, he's ready to at least wade into the debate.

Time will tell if it's too little, too late. Still, welcome to your health care reform fight, Mr. President.