Kabukarama

I actually don't think the Republicans are wrong to be suspicious of President Obama's health care summit. But they called him into the brier patch -- nice job. Lately President Obama has shown a refreshing ability to call them on their bullshit, and I'm betting that most -- if not all -- of what they have prepared for the summit is politics rather than serious policy, and by serious I mean more than a notion or ideology. I mean something that might demonstrably lower health care costs and cover almost everybody.



If El Presidente Bush were to run one of these -- and he never did in his eight years, not bipartisan, not on C-Span, not once -- he might not even be chairing it. Whereas what I expect will keep this from being kabuki is that President Obama has already shown himself to be a fair meeting leader. And he actually studies and considers conservative ideas. Not Movement ideas so much as small "c" old school, un-hysterical style.

The bigger kabuki play is in my home state of New York, where a possible influence scandal is breaking with Gov. David Paterson in the wrong. Not sure how this will turn out because my guess from the vantage point of the opposite coast is that Paterson is considered a very weak Governor in the state with terrible poll numbers to match, the Democratic Party is all but coalesced around current NYS Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, Paterson is digging in his heels and somebody had to hit him with a smear or a real impropriety in order to try and loosen him up.

The question then becomes whether Paterson -- who's father was a politician, who made it in the Harlem political world, who made it to Lieutenant Governor and by resignation then the Governorship -- can handle a political attack like this in his sleep. He's calling for an investigation, whatever that means, but it's a smart start.

May the best kabukatron win.