there's bad policy-- and then there's rank hypocrisy

Obama on the Democratic health care negotiation process-- as a eight-time asserting candidate and now, as a lying president...

no public transparency (as the rest of presidency, there has been a profoundly disappointing gap between promises and reality)...

no participation from the GOP (understandable, but again, contrary to what he sold us; I think I'd prefer fulfillment of the promise, even if a formality)...

From the AP's Erica Warner...

The White House was put on the defensive Wednesday after President Barack Obama pushed congressional leaders to fast-track health care legislation behind closed doors despite his campaign promises of an open process.

"The president wants to get a bill to his desk as quickly as possible," Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said as reporters questioned him repeatedly about Obama's decision to go along with House and Senate leaders in bypassing the usual negotiations between the two chambers in the interest of speed.