Oh, To Be a Fly on the Wall

I so wish I could watch the health care summit at Blair House tomorrow, but alas, work beckons. I suppose I could TIVO it (yes, I'm that big of a nerd) but it would be anticlimactic somehow. It is sure to be great theater, however, and what I really wish is that I could just be a fly on the wall (hiding, not one snapped out of flight and squished) in that room.

Here is the list of those invited:

Senator Harry Reid, D-NV, Majority Leader
Senator Mitch McConnell, R-KY, Republican Leader
Senator Richard Durbin, D-IL, Majority Whip
Senator Jon Kyl, R-AZ, Republican Whip
Senator Max Baucus, D-MT, Chairman of the Finance Committee
Senator Chuck Grassley, R-IA, Ranking Member of the Finance Committee
Senator Tom Harkin, D-IA, Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee
Senator Mike Enzi, R-WY, Ranking Member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee
Senator Christopher Dodd, D-CT, Member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee
Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-CA
Representative Steny Hoyer, D-MD, Majority Leader
Representative John Boehner, R-OH, Republican Leader
Representative James Clyburn, D-SC, Majority Whip
Representative Eric Cantor, R-VA, Republican Whip
Representative Charles Rangel, D-NY, Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee
Representative Dave Camp, R-MI, Ranking Member of the Ways and Means Committee
Representative Henry Waxman, D-CA, Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee
Representative Joe Barton, R-TX, Ranking Member of the Energy and Commerce Committee
Representative George Miller, D-CA, Chairman of the Education and Labor Committee
Representative John Kline, R-MN, Ranking Member of the Education and Labor Committee
Representative John Dingell, D-MI, Chair Emeritus of the Energy and Commerce Committee

Senator John Barasso will also be there as the top Democrat and top Republican leaders were told they could invite four people each, and he was invited by Senator Mike Enzi.

The meeting is tomorrow but the scrapping has already begun. Robert Costa at The Corner reports:

Barrasso says that President Obama and Democrats are “arrogant” for proposing a “more expensive” health-care proposal just days before the summit. Barrasso adds that he remains “fascinated” at how not one “logical thought” has been expressed by Democrats in their summit-prep efforts, and still feels that Obama is unwilling to work with the GOP. “I don’t think [Obama] has been open to Republican ideas,” he says.

And now you've got John Boehner saying, "Hey! Let's invite Bart Stupak, too!"

John McCain plans on attending the meeting and he isn't bringing a positive outlook, either, but instead has a petition going against the Democrats plans:

Tomorrow, President Obama will host a health care reform summit to discuss his proposed overhaul of our health care system. I believe to achieve real reform; we must scrap it and start over. If you agree, I ask that you sign our "Scrap Health Care Reform and Start Over" petition. We'd like to gather 100,000 signatures overnight to send a message to the left, and your immediate action will help us reach this goal.

Oh and meanwhile, McCain encourages you in the same letter to make a donation to his re-election campaign.

U.S. Representative Charles Boustany will be there; he's a heart surgeon and brings a unique perspective to the negotiations but he is under no illusions:

"I'm going to go in hopeful that we can get something done but under no illusion and recognize that they are stacking the deck trying to move forward with the current proposals which the American people already largely oppose," said Boustany.

Meanwhile, Louisiana Purchase Mary Landrieu says the Republicans ... yes, the Republicans, aren't playing fair. Who says she doesn't have ... nerve?

But Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., one of those Democrats who has expressed reservations about using reconciliation for this purpose, indicated this week that she is not foreclosing going along with that option. "I'm staying open to see how these negotiations go forward," she told Politico. "I've not generally been a big supporter (of using reconciliatoin), but the Republican Party, the leadership, has really been very, very, very disingenuous in this process."

"Disingenuous"? Really, Mary? That really means something coming from you! Ouch!

All in all I'd say this could get really interesting! The pre-summit posturing is titillating enough, but tomorrow, all those big egos in one room? Oh to be a fly on the wall...