Obamas Health Care Summit Just for Show

Could this turn into something more than political theater? President Barack Obama’s televised dialogue with Republican lawmakers on health care, promised for later this month, has the makings of an entertaining exchange. But the differences between the basic Democratic and GOP ideas are stark – and the two sides have increasingly hardened their positions in this election year.

Yet, in a story with more twists than a soap opera, Obama’s invitation to congressional leaders of both parties to attend a Feb. 25 meeting can’t be dismissed as a mere diversion.