Hey y'all.

Sorry for the lacking info today. It was a little extra sleep or the blog. Figured one day could by. Plus it seemed appropriate to sit down and write right now, as I watch the President's entourage make its way into the chamber for his speech to the joint session.

Had to flip it to Fox News to see how pissed they are that it is taking so long for him to get up there. Also, I know for those of you who only watch Congress during the State of the Union, it is not weird to see Nancy Pelosi up there in front. For me, it is. On a normal day she is never up there. Ever. She is on the floor or in the halls whipping votes, her main job. She appoints someone to stand up there.

Then, as he walks up there, it is hard not to get the feeling that all the boys are back together. As much as they all disagree with each other and argue and complain, these people are all co-workers. They all work together and eat together and party together. So, randomly, on a Wednesday, all the boys (and the girls) are back together. Notice also that Nancy Pelosi didn't want to let his hand go.

No, I am not going to sit here and live blog this. Moving on.

This is a huge speech. It is the first time the President has really staked his reputation on something. He will step out and say how he thinks this should be done and what should be done. If they ever stop clapping. Really though, he attack this challenge and tell Congress that this is how it is going to be. "I am not the first president to take up this cause, but I am determined to be the last."

Alright, let's be honest, I'm going to keep you with me as a write this. John Dingle is awesome by the way. He really does introduce a healthcare bill at the beginning of each session.

"We are the only advanced democracy on earth, the only wealthy nation, that allows such hardship for millions of its people. One in every three Americans goes without health insurance at some point." I am currently one of them.

"We spend one and half times more per person on healthcare than any other country. But we aren't any healthier for it....Our healthcare problem is our deficit problem. Nothing else even comes close."

"Under this plan it will be against the law for health insurance to deny you coverage because of pre-existing conditions. When I sign this bill it will be against the law for companies to drop your coverage or water it down because you get sick. We will place a limit on how much you can get charged in out of pocket expenses, because in the United States of America, no one should go broke when they sick."

And he throws a bone to McCain. "We will immediately provide low-cost healthcare for you if you should get seriously ill." McCain responded positively.

Individuals will be required to carry basic health insurance.

8:41 President Obama announces public option in insurance exchange. Eric Cantor looks like a 15 year old kid ignoring a lecture...

"I will not back down on the basic principle that if Americans cannot find affordable coverage, we will provide you with a choice."

If you didn't watch it, you got just a few quotes. Near the end of the speech he talked about a letter he received from Ted Kennedy. When he said, as Rachel Maddow said, government for the people is a good thing.

It was a good speech. "Touch of greatness" might have gone too far. There is definitely a sense among many people, specifically those my age (and MSNBC obviously), that anything he says is the greatest thing ever said. That isn't true. His speech in New Hampshire, that was great. This speech, I am proud of. I am not proud that my president is very good with words. I am not proud that he is a great public speaker and delivers a great two-line quote. I am proud that he did what was easy. Only for politicians is it so hard to stand up and say what you think needs to be said. I am proud that he knows that honesty and good policy is easy. I am proud of that. I am proud that he gave a thesis-type argument, breaking down each argument against his plan and saying what was right. And I am proud that he is a leader.

What I am not proud of is Keith Olberman's first statement after the rebuttal, reminding his viewers that the LA Congressman that spoke has been sued for malpractice. Or that maybe had questions about the president's birth certificate. These are the exact things our leader of a president just said to throw out the window. Five minutes after he finished saying it, a leader opinion maker flat ignored it. I am not proud of that. And he is a Democrat.

The health insurance industry needs to be regulated. It flat out does. If doctors cannot handle rules then they cannot practice in this country. But they should also not have to make every decision with questions about whether they will be sued. Patients should have to worry that they will be dropped from insurance or taking tests multiple times. Simple fixes.

And yes. This is America. Every individual citizen should have health insurance. Period. We are a century behind schedule on this.

President Obama gave a good speech and led. But leadership doesn't end as he leaves the building. He better call out individuals like he said will. This fight is partisan, no matter what he says. But it is one he needs to win.

Let me know your thoughts. I will be watching it again and possibly commenting later. Sorry for these convoluted first thoughts, but they've got to be more interesting. My main point is that I agree this has the be done now. I needed to be done yesterday and the day before that and 100 years ago. But the President tonight made two overarching, point blank statements:

"We did not come to fear the future, we came to shape it."

"I am not the first president to take up this cause, but I am determined to be the last."

For the sake of this country, I hope he is.