Obama: Horrible Dealmaker

Stories like did where Obama actually believed his bipartisan spin is always amazing. Didn't Obama pay attention to the Republicans he served with in the Senate? Remember all that time the White House wasted trying to win the health care votes from people like Charles "Death Panel" Grassley. A Democratic strategist told David Corn that the White House was repeatedly warned that they would never get any Republican support.

It took "so goddamn long," of course, partly because the president and his aides were overly deferential to Congress—especially to a few Senate Republicans they were trying to rope in. "We told the White House repeatedly," says the Democratic Senate strategist, "that it was a mistake to think they could negotiate with Republicans. They never listened."

Sen. Mike Enzi admitted he only worked with Democrats to delay the health care bill.

"If I hadn't been involved in this process as long as I have and to the depth as I have, you would already have national health care."

The only vote the White House ever got was Olympia Snowe in the Finance Committee. Her vote wasn't needed for passage. Snowe and every Republican voting against the final health care legislation. I wonder if Obama still believes in bipartisanship.