Orszag Says Health Reform ‘Absolutely’ Still Possible; Enzi’s Posture Offers Evidence Of Partisan Stalemate
News outlets report on some of the major figures in the health care overhaul debate, including Peter Orszag, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, and Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo.
Politico has an interview with Orszag, in which he says that "it is 'absolutely' still possible to pass a comprehensive health reform bill, insisting that 'to really reform the health care system' would be 'best for the economy and the American public'" (Allen, 2/22).
Roll Call reports that "[l]ongtime Capitol Hill observers say there's no better evidence of the bitter partisan stalemate that has enveloped Congress than the posture of Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) during the past year's health care debate." Though considered one of the most conservative senators, Enzi had a "fruitful relationship with his Democratic counterpart on the HELP committee, the late Sen. Edward Kennedy (Mass.)" and "is driven by a simple, three-pronged mission statement that he relates during every weekly staff meeting: 'Do what's right, do your best, and treat others as they want be treated. ... So to hear Enzi boast of blocking legislation is rare and emblematic of the Senate logjam on health care reform. 'If I hadn't been a part of the debate, you would already have universal health care,' Enzi said last week, according to a report in the Casper Star-Tribune'" (Newhauser, 2/22).
