Dems vow to find enough votes to pass Obamacare but don’t commit to Obama’s deadline, abortion fight still looms, Pelosi says Congress needs to pass the bill so we can find out what’s in it, some House liberals also vow to vote no.

 

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Utah Rep. Rob Bishop says he doesn’t know what’s being done by Democrats to secure votes for the health bill, but he expects several arms in slings by the end of the week from being twisted so much.  Bishop also says President Obama is resorting to attacking phantoms and evil boogeymen to build urgency for his plan.  Bishop also points out that the abortion debate is a big deal, despite how much Democrats try to minimize the dispute.

 

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Parliamentary elections went off successfully in Iraq this past weekend, as Iraq conducted and secured a democratic vote on it’s own for the first time.  President Obama and Vice President Biden are couching Iraq as a major success - of their administration.  Is Obama failing to give credit to Bush?  Can we declare the policy a success at this point?  And is it time Obama starts using the word victory?  We ask Washington Times senior editorial writer James Robbins, a special assistant to Defense Secretary Don Rumsfeld.

 

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As President Obama stumps for his health plan in Pennsylvania, we get point-by-point reaction from Pennsylvania Rep. Joe Pitts on the GOP agenda, the true cost of the Democratic plan, the abortion language and President Obama’s claim that the free market has already been tried with respect to reforming health care.  We’ll also bring you the latest on the sordid story of resigning New York Rep. Eric Massa, who is now saying Democratic leaders are running him out of town over his opposition to the health plan.

 

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The biggest hurdle for Congressional Democrats on the health care front is convincing 12 pro-life Democrats to get on board.  The lawmakers are demanding that no taxpayer dollars be used to fund abortions, either directly or indirectly.  So what does the bill specifically say?  Why are some pro-life Democrats OK with the current language?  How could HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius expand the federal role in abortion even more?  And will pro-life Dems stand strong or cave to immense pressure from Obama and Pelosi?  We ask Susan Muskett, senior legislative counsel for the National Right to Life Committee.

 

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On Monday, President Obama went to Pennsylvania to campaign for a final vote on his version of health care reform.  As Obama claims the GOP position is to loosen the rules on insurance companies, we talk with Pennsylvania Rep. Joe Pitts about what the real Republican plan involves, how Obama really pays for his massive government plan, why House Democrats don’t trust Senate Democrats and what the facts really are in the abortion component of this debate.  Pitts co-sponsored the strong pro-life language offered by Michigan Democrat Bart Stupak.

 

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One of the most controversial components of the president’s health care agenda is the individual mandate, which requires all adults to purchase health coverage or face a $750.  Not paying the fine would result in huge additional fines or a year in prison.  Virginia Del. Bob Marshall is leading the effort in his state to protect residents who decide not to purchase coverage.  So how did Marshall take the lead on this issue?  How would his plan work?  And why is he confident his plan would survive a court challenge from the federal government?

 

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Texas Rep. Pete Olson says the latest jobless numbers are further proof that President Obama’s economic agenda has not worked.  Olson also explains why he voted against the Democratic jobs bill in the House this week, what his plan for job creation would be and how the jobs debate is impacting this year’s midterm elections.

 

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The Labor Department reports 36,000 additional job losses in February while the overall unemployment rate stands at 9.7 percent.  Are we still in the economic dumps or is this a sign we are stabilizing and about to grow?  What is the unemployment rate when factoring in those who have stopped looking?  Why does the current GDP growth suggest the job numbers should be much better?  We ask Diana Furchgott-Roth, former chief economist at the Department of Labor.

 

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Maryland Del. Donald Dwyer is launching an effort to impeach state attorney general Doug Gansler after Gansler unilaterally overturned Maryland law defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman.  Gansler now says Maryland will recognize gay marriages performed elsewhere.  So what precedent does this set?  What is Dwyer’s plan?  How are Democrats protecting Gansler and thwarting Dwyer at every turn?  We ask Del. Dwyer.

 

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