HCR: Strutting upon a Stage Edition

As I noted last night, Boehner and the gang have come to largely play...and it turns out to be a bad fantasy Panto.

McCain still is fighting the '08 campaign.
Just a long screed and whine about Obama.  Glad you came to help America, John.

Boehner sends out a preemptive message to complain.
Good to see he is open.  And we see the talking point that Reps will be using.  Let's just be bipartisan and pass small pieces...like tort reform, tax cuts, and free reign for the insurance industry.  It'll be a great victory...Yeah, give Reps what they want.  Brilliant.  And no one is calling them on it on CNN.  And why is Mary Matalin getting free reign to slag the president along side the "journalist" who want take one side or another.  Great job CNN.

(This really bugs me.  The media seems to like the small bill plan, so tort reform is going to get pushed, even as the Dems point out how little it means in comparison to the bigger issues.  But on top of this...Reps have not been able to push major tort reform...but Dems may well go and do it for them.  They couldn't slash as hard as they wanted at access to abortion, but Stupak will lead larger number of Dems to do it for them.  Isn't there something wrong here?)

Senator Alexander gets called on his crap by the president and AP.

The Two Faces of the Republicans.
On the one hand Republicans are pushing plans to dismantle Medicare and with the other hand they feint at being it's one true defender.  And will the media call them on it?

Outside, Steele wishes we could have talked a year ago.
Which the president actually did.  Remember?  While you were attacking, complaining, and trying to scare the country?  Remember?

A list of articles from TPM for today.