President Obama plans to address Congress on Wednesday, only a day after lawmakers return from their August break, to spell out in detail his vision for overhauling health care, The Associated Press reports. The move signals that "Democrats have all but given up hope for a bipartisan breakthrough by Senate Finance Committee negotiators," because that committee - the only one seeking across-the-aisle compromise - had been given a Sept. 15 deadline. Democrats have long pressed the president to offer a more specific plan, and the timing - immediately after the recess - may help "buck up" those supporters and dispel any advantage opponents gained during the recess (Babington, 9/3).
However, "officials said Mr. Obama was unlikely to unveil a detailed legislative plan of his own. And they insisted that Mr. Obama had not given up on the provision that has attracted the most fire from the right, a proposal for a government-run competitor to private insurers," The New York Times reports. The speech will likely target the moderate Democrats who may defect from the party and oppose the plan (Pear and Calmes, 9/2).
The Los Angeles Times reports that aides have talked it up as the most detailed plan yet. "I think the path that he believes we should go [in] will be clear to everyone who hears this speech," said David Axelrod, a senior adviser.