President Barack Obama plans an all-out push for health care reform legislation after Labor Day — but he is likely to find Congress and the media distracted by a series of thorny national security problems, including Guantanamo and Iran, which are set to come roaring back onto the national agenda.
The collection of issues present a political minefield where a false step could send the right or the left into an uproar just as Obama is trying to cobble together a coalition to make a deal on health care reform that has eluded several of his predecessors.
A misstep on Guantanamo, or an announcement of the appointment of a special prosecutor to probe interrogation abuses, and conservatives are likely to strike up such a din that Obama’s health care message could be drowned out. A move to boost troops in Afghanistan or establish new rules for an elite interrogation unit and liberals already steamed at signs of compromise on health care could go into revolt.
Speaking at a summit meeting in Mexico last week, Obama seemed to acknowledge the delicate timing of his legislative agenda this fall, though he made no mention of the national security issues certain to intrude.
“I've got a lot on my plate, and it's very important for us to sequence these big initiatives in a way where they don't all just crash at the same time,” Obama said. - Politico Story
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