I do think David Brooks the other day stumbled onto some truth when he said Obama is not at this point feared by Congress.  I think that's accurate. 

I think over the next couple of months re health care in particular he faces a challenge that could well affect his effectiveness for the rest of his Administration.  By his actions of late it looks to me as though he sees the situation similarly.  

While having his Chief of Staff take a hard line with some members of Congress probably is or will prove to be necessary, I am hopeful that the recent uptick in efforts by the President to speak directly with the public on health care is the beginning of intensified efforts along these lines over the coming weeks.   

He probably will need to be quite explicit about how, while the special interest health care lobbies are as entitled as any of the rest of us to express their views, their narrower interests, backed up by massive campaign contributions to members of Congress, cannot be allowed to override the pressing need for the peoples' government to protect the health of the people and also get health care costs under control.   

And that the only way that can prevent this from happening, and help us get health care reform that will work for the American people and not just the health care special interests, is for large numbers of ordinary members of the public to be in contact with their representatives in Congress.   

In the course of explaining the stakes, he may want to say there is no positive economic future for our people and our country without ensuring the health of our people, that our government has been reckless with the health of our people and that is why the status quo is entirely unacceptable, that our people are our greatest asset, and that with healthy and well-educated people whose efforts are supported instead of handicapped by their government, we can overcome any and all challenges we now face.  Words to this effect.  

Some of the provisions in current bills being considered on the Hill may be counter-productive and might even cause reform to fail if allowed to get into law.  Addressing the more complex among these issues may be more of a task for his network of supporters, rather than trying to engage ordinary citizens at a level of specificity that risks stepping on his broader messages and appeals.   

It's his ass, after all, that will be most directly on the line with anything that ends up passing, if something does pass.   

He is being tested by Congress.

Congress is like your and my kids--eventually, later if not sooner, they will test you.   

And they will take extensive notes on how you respond.   

This is the issue and this is the time for him to grow or cement his bond with the public by showing the public and Congress that he will fight for what is important to him on matters that are of fundamental and indeed life-threatening importance to Americans, their families, and all of our futures.    

His only chance against the special interests to get something worth enacting on health care is to take his case, hard, to the public, right now and over the next couple of months at least.