Political India: Engaging America

President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton today sent their congratulations to the people of Iraq on holding parliamentary elections, for only the second time since the U.S. invasion in 2003.

Commending the people of Iraq for their refusal to be deterred by acts of violence, Mr. Obama said, “Their participation demonstrates that the Iraqi people have chosen to shape their future through the political process.”

Nearly 50,000 voting booths at more than 8,000 polling stations across Iraq were readied for use of the ballot box, and more than 500,000 Iraqi security personnel were involved in the operation.

Yet the election was marred by multiple attacks, with at least 35 people being killed, according to reports. Mr. Obama said, “We mourn the tragic loss of life today”.

He also noted that Iraqi citizens in the United States participated in the elections, “including Iraqis… who voted in Arlington (Viginia), Chicago, Dallas, Dearborn, Nashville, Phoenix, San Diego, and San Francisco”.

Noting the important work of Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission, Mr. Obama said, it would continue in the days to come as it counted ballots, tabulated results and investigated complaints. “We also salute the invaluable assistance provided by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq”, he added.

Secretary Clinton additionally commended U.S. Ambassador Christopher Hill, General Raymond Odierno and other U.S. civilian and military personnel who supported this historic effort.

Reaffirming the U.S.’s commitment to work with the new leadership in Iraq, she said, “In the coming months, we will work together with Iraqi leaders as our partnership continues its transition to a primarily civilian focus, with the goal of building a long-term, multidimensional relationship between our two nations”.

This was a relationship that would contribute to stability in the Middle East and growing peace and prosperity in Iraq, she argued.

In a televised broadcast from the White House President Obama today forcefully repeated the case for healthcare reform, urging Congress to finish its work so he could sign the reform into law. Flanked by lab-coat adorned physicians and nurses who literally stood behind the bill, Mr. Obama said, that every idea about health care reform had been put on the table.

Reflecting upon the year-long debate on the reform proposals Mr. Obama said, “Every argument has been made. Everything there is to say about health care has been said and just about everyone has said it. So now is the time to make a decision about how to finally reform health care so that it works, not just for the insurance companies, but for America’s families and businesses.”.

In the clearest indication so far that time for wrangling over the bill with an intransigent Republican opposition was running out, Mr. Obama said it deserved the same kind of up-or-down vote that was cast on welfare reform, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, COBRA health coverage for the unemployed, and both Bush tax cuts.

Given that these bills were passed in Congress with a simple majority rather than a supermajority it would appear likely that the Democrats are hoping to get the bill signed into law through reconciliation, the legislative procedure that allows bypass of the supermajority requirement for ending opposition filibuster.

Republicans, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell voiced their strong opposition to the Democratic move towards reconciliation. Speaking a few minutes after Mr. Obama’s address Senator McConnell said, “I assure you that if this bill is somehow passed, it won't be behind our Democratic friends, it'll be ahead of them because every election in America this fall will be a referendum on this issue”.

However in his speech today, as in an open letter to Republican and Democratic leaders, Mr. Obama written on Tuesday Mr. Obama highlighted areas of agreement that transcended the partisan divide.

Among these areas of agreement, which the President has indicated would be part of the final bill, are included a comprehensive set of initiatives to combat fraud, waste, and abuse, funding to states to finance demonstrations of alternatives to resolving medical malpractice disputes, raising Medicare reimbursements to doctors in states where they fall short and the expansion of Health Savings Accounts.

Yet it is evident that Mr. Obama’s patience with the process is wearing thin. Highlighting the main outcome of the rare bipartisan debate held in Blair House last week he admitted, “Now, despite all that we agree on and all the Republican ideas we've incorporated, many – probably most – Republicans in Congress just have a fundamental disagreement over whether we should have more or less oversight of insurance companies.

Throwing down a direct challenge to the Republican leadership, he said “And if they truly believe that less regulation would lead to higher quality, more affordable health insurance, then they should vote against the proposal I've put forward”.

If a last-ditch measure for bipartisan support does not emerge within the next few weeks – and that is unlikely judging by the tenor of the Republican response – it would remain for House to pass the Senate version of the bill and then all the additional measures in the final Democratic bill would need to be passed – and it is for the latter step that reconciliation may be invoked.