Public Option a 'Good Idea' but Not Essential to Reform Effort

[toomuchtime_]

Struggling to regain control of his message on health care, President Obama made his pitch to skeptical and friendly audiences alike on Thursday -- a final push on his chief legislative priority before he heads out of town on vacation.

In a radio interview at the White House on Thursday afternoon, Obama tried to clear up what he described as confusion surrounding his health-care proposal. He described the public option -- a government-run provider -- as only a small, and optional, part of his overall initiative.

"What we've said is, we think that's a good idea," Obama said of publicly funded health insurance. "We haven't said that's the only aspect."

Obama repeated his aides' contention that the White House continues to regard a public option as not essential. "The press got a little excited, and some folks on the left got a little excited," he said. "Our position on this hasn't changed."

Obama in Push to Sell Health-Care Message - washingtonpost.com