Barack Obama hits back at critics of health plan

[Soylent Brice]

President issues rousing speech to Congress and promises not to be deflected from universal healthcare plan

Barack Obama tried to put his presidency back on course last night with a rare fighting speech to Congress rounding on his Republican critics and promising he would not be deflected from his ambitious plan to extend healthcare to all Americans.

With polls showing support for both the president and his healthcare plan slipping, Obama used a rare speech to a joint session of Congress to try to win over not only the public but sceptical members of his Democratic party who could decide the fate of his reform plan.

*snip*

His speech is likely to have alienated Republicans while liberal Democrats will be disappointed by an important passage in the speech in which he showed a willingness to drop the so-called public option, a federal-government insurance scheme.

read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/sep/10/barack-obama-healthcare-congress-address