Politico’s Ben Smith has a smart take on President Obama’s decision to delay his trip abroad. (Obama was scheduled to leave the country on Sunday, the day House Democratic leaders are hoping to hold their vote on health care.)
The decision to cancel his trip may look like a sign of urgency but it’s also, in the language of Washington, a sign of tremendous confidence: You don’t set the President of the United States up to experience humiliation in person. It’s being taken right now by people on both sides of the fight as the clearest sign yet that Nancy Pelosi has the votes.
But still, I’m reminded of how Obama suffered a personal humiliation when he opted – late in the game – to personally campaign for Martha Coakley in the Massachusetts Senate race. We know how that turned out.