Obama's media blitz boosts reform efforts

President Obama sought to blanket the airwaves yesterday with an impassioned defense of his health reform effort during back-to-back broadcasts of taped interviews on five morning news programs.

In interviews conducted Friday in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Obama acknowledged being "humbled" by the challenge of "breaking through" in the complicated and emotional battle over health care reform.

"I think there have been times where I have said I've got to step up my game in terms of talking to the American people about issues like health care," he told George Stephanopoulos on ABC's This Week.

"I've tried to keep it digestible, you know, it's very hard for people to get their - their whole arms around it. And that's been a case where I have been humbled and I just keep on trying harder, because I, I really think it's the right thing to do for the country."

Beyond health care, Obama also said yesterday he will remain skeptical about the need for more U.S. troops in Afghanistan until he is satisfied that the military has the right strategy for winning the war there. And as previously reported by the networks Friday, he dismissed former president Jimmy Carter's contention that critics are fueled primarily by racial hatred.

But the interviews were devoted primarily to the battle over his health care efforts. Hewing to virtually the same script in each, Obama voiced a desire for a more "civil" tone in the debate.

"We all have an obligation to try to conduct this conversation in a civil way. And to recognize that each of us are patriots," he told NBC's David Gregory on Meet the Press.

Republicans shot back quickly, sending out an e-mail to reporters titled "IF IT'S SUNDAY, IT'S MISLEADING THE PRESS." In it, the RNC offered their theory for the president's five-show Sunday blitz: "Desperate To Get Americans On His Side, Obama Continues To Push Falsehoods About His Government-Run Health Care Experiment," the release read.

After Obama's appearance on NBC, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said the issue is not one of rhetoric or style.

"The president is selling something people aren't buying," Graham said. "He's been on everything but the Food Channel."

In the interviews, which included CNN's State of the Union, CBS's Face the Nation and the Spanish-language Univision, Obama portrayed himself as willing to take politically difficult positions, citing his move to pursue alternative dispute resolutions in cases of medical malpractice.

"That's not popular in my party," he said on NBC.

However, many physician leaders have complained that the administration's $25 million grant program falls far short of the aggressive changes they seek, including a cap on legal awards to injured patients.

The president brushed off suggestions by some allies that the fight over his centerpiece domestic policy initiative has been tinged by racial attitudes.

"What's driving passions right now is health care has become a proxy for a broader set of issues about how much government should be involved in our economy," he said on CBS. "I have no interest in increasing the size of government. I just want to make sure we've got a smart government."

Tomorrow, the Senate Finance Committee will begin action on a bill drafted by panel Chairman Sen. Max Baucus, a Democrat from Montana, and 564 amendments.