Better late than never

After spending a lot of time on the sidelines in his first year in office, President Obama has finally emerged as the leader we hoped he would be. In the latest episode of the National Smackdown Tour, Mr. Obama has invited Republican leaders to a televised discussion of health care on February 25th.

This being the kind of offer you can't refuse, Republicans have accepted.

Will this be as entertaining as the President's evisceration of Republican House members? I hope so, but now that they know what they're up against, the GOPhers will perhaps be able to throw up obfuscation and sloganeering, not to mention a fog of disinformation. Still, it doesn't pay to bet against the tall guy from Illinois.

While the President's performances have been heartening these past couple of weeks, we have to worry that he is still having to do all the heavy lifting. Where are the Democratic leaders of the House and Senate? Well-nigh invisible. Mr. Obama may, indeed, be Superman, but he needs some support.