A look at The Week Ahead in politics.

HERE'S THE FULL VIDEO: Back in the man cave, we preview the Texas gubernatorial primary. KBH vs. Perry. Can Perry avoid a run-off? NBC's Mark Murray makes his debut on The Week Ahead ... Obama to Savannah, Ga. to talk jobs ... Palin to Leno ... Romney's book is out ... Scott Brown stumps for McCain ... And what do Blago, Paterson and the Manhattan Madam have in common?

Here's a brief excerpt:

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From MSNBC's Norah O'Donnell and NBC's Domenico Montanaro
There were a lot of claims at yesterday's day-long health-care summit but which ones are fact and which are fiction?

ISSUE No. 1: Will premiums go up or down if health reform becomes law?
President Obama and Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander could not agree on the facts. Here's what they said, in part:

ALEXANDER: "The CBO says the premiums will rise in the individual market as a result of the Senate bill."

OBAMA "It's not factually accurate. Here's what the Congressional Budget Office says. The costs for families for the same type of coverage as they're currently receiving would go down 14 to 20%."

There are elements of truth in what both said, but there's more to the story.

First, the non-partisan CBO did find that average premiums for people buying insurance premiums would be 10 to 13 percent higher in 2016.

But as president Obama pointed out those more expensive policies would cover more. As Obama said, "Yes I'm paying 10 to 13 percent more because instead of buying an apple, I'm getting an orange."
And half of the people would be getting substantial government subsidies to defray extra costs.

ISSUE No. 2: Reconciliation
Republican claim Democrats are going to unfairly jam the bill through in a partisan way.

Here's the disagreement:

Lamar Alexander said of reconciliation, "You can say that this process has been used before, and that would be right. But it's never been used for anything like this. It's not appropriate to use to write the rules for 17 percent of the economy."

Harry Reid: "I have not talked about doing reconciliation as the only way out of all this. Of course, it's not the only way out. But remember, since 1981, reconciliation has been used 21 times. Most of it's been used by Republicans for major things, like the Contract for America, Medicare reform, the tax cuts. So reconciliation isn't something that's never been done before."

So who's right?

First, for Sen. Reid to say he has not talked about doing reconciliation, that's just not true. Everyone's been talking about it, and Democrats may start the process next week.

Now, as to the Republican claim that this has "never" been used for something this big, that's not true.

The non-partisan Congressional Research Service put out a report on bills between 1981 and 2009, and found that reconciliation has been used 22 times, mostly by Republican-controlled Congress.'

It has, in fact, been used for major legislation like health insurance portability (COBRA), nursing home standards, expanding Medicare, welfare reform, and Bush's trillion-dollar-plus tax cuts. So Reid is right on that point.

It's also important to point out -- additionally -- that if Democrats use reconciliation, it wouldn't be for the ENTIRE bill, but for just parts of it. So, it wouldn't be accurate if opponents of health reform to say that a bill this large hasn't been passed via reconciliation, or to attach the same cost for the total bill to what potentially gets passed using reconciliation.

ISSUE No. 3: Who has polling on their side?
Both Republicans and Democrats claimed to have the polls on their side at yesterday's health-care summit.

MCCONNELL: "I think it is not irrelevant that the American people, if you average out all of the polls, are opposed to this bill by 55-37."

OBAMA: "When you poll people about the individual elements in these bills, they're all for them."

What's the truth? Who's right?

As usual the truth is COMPLICATED. Both are correct -- to a point.

McConnell is basically right that if you take an average of the polls and simply ask if you favor or oppose the health-care plans going through Congress, more people oppose than are in favor.

What we can tell you is that by the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, taken in late January, that more people -- 46 percent -- thought the president's health care plan was a BAD idea. And just 31 percent thought it was a good idea. Now, this has changed over time. Back in June of last year, was the last time more people thought it was a good idea than a bad one -- and that was right before all those summer town halls and rumors about death panels and pulling the plug on grandma.

And it's also true that people polled said that no one was doing a good job handling health care. In fact, more people said REPUBLICANS in Congress were doing a worse job handling health care than the president.

As far as what the president suggested, that Americans are in favor of some specific aspects of the plan, like eliminating pre-existing conditions, for example. For the most part, that's true.

ISSUE No. 4: McCain vs. Obama on CSPAN cameras
At one point, it felt like déjà vu with the 2008 election. John McCain sharply criticized the president for his failure to hold public health care negotiations.

MCCAIN: "Eight times you said that negotiations on health care reform would be conducted with the C-SPAN cameras. I'm glad more than a year later that they are here. Unfortunately, this product was not produced in that fashion. It was produced behind closed doors."

OBAMA: "John, we're not campaigning anymore. The election is over."

So, is McCain right? As we've reported previously, yes, it's true that several times in the 2008 campaign Obama vowed to hold open negotiations in reworking health care. But once in office, Democrats in the White House and Congress conducted negotiations, as usual, behind close doors. But, as we asked as the lead line in First Thoughts this morning, We learned that televising all congressional proceedings clearly isn't the solution to Washington's ills, huh?

From NBC's Savannah Guthrie
An administration official confirms that White House Social Secretary Desiree Rogers will be stepping down from her job.

Rogers received criticism after the infamous party-crashers crashed November's state dinner honoring the prime minister of India. 

From NBC's Sarah Blackwill and Mark Murray
Talking to reporters today, Speaker Nancy Pelosi said it was her understanding that House Ways and Means Chairman Charlie Rangel (D) didn't violate the rules of the House, after Rangel was admonished by the House Ethics Committee. *** UDPATE *** A Pelosi spokesman calls First Read to stress that Pelosi said Rangel didn't "willfully" break the rules. See below.  

"What I understand, and I haven't seen the report... All I saw was the press release where they said that he did not violate the rules of the House," Pelosi said. "And I think that's an important statement that they made... So there's more to Mr Rangel's situation and we'll look forward to hearing from the committee."

More from Pelosi: "Obviously, they have other issues to deal with, but I thank them for taking this action. I hope that they will have other actions soon. But they did not take action against him. They just said he did not willfully break the rules. But we'll just see what happens next -- what comes out of the Ethics Committee next."

In fact, the report concluded that Rangel's staff knew that he was accepting privately funded travel, and that Rangel "was responsible for the knowledge and actions of his staff in the performance of their official duties."

The Report further finds that Representative Charles B. Rangel violated the House gift rule by accepting payment or reimbursement for travel to the 2007 and 2008 conferences. The evidence shows that members of Representative Rangel's staff knew that corporations had contributed funds to Carib News specifically for the 2007 and 2008 conferences. This information was not provided to the Standards Committee when he sought and received approval from the Committee to accept these trips. The Committee does not find sufficient evidence to conclude, nor does it believe that it would discover additional evidence to alter its conclusion, that Representative Rangel had actual knowledge of the memoranda written by his staff. However, the report finds that Representative Rangel was responsible for the knowledge and actions of his staff in the performance of their official duties. It is the intention of the Committee that publication of this Report will serve as a public admonishment by the Standards Committee of Representative Rangel.

From NBC's Mark Murray
New York Rep. Charlie Rangel (D) chairs the House Ways and Means Committee. And given the admonishment Rangel received from the House Ethics Committee yesterday, fellow House Democrat Gene Taylor says the New York congressman should step down from his powerful perch.

The AP: "Rep. Gene Taylor of Mississippi was the first Democratic lawmaker to suggest that Rangel should give up his chairmanship of the House Ways and Means Committee, which originates not only tax laws but also benefit programs that now pay nearly half the costs
for Americans' health care. In Taylor's words, Rangel should 'either step down or step
aside until this is resolved.'"

*** UDPATE *** Rep. Paul Hodes, who is running for New Hampshire's U.S. Senate race, also has called for Rangel to step down from his leadership post, per Politico. "I honor and respect Charlie Rangel's lifetime of service as a soldier serving our country in Korea and as a public servant. But Washington must be held to the highest ethical standards," Hodes said in a statement.

From NBC's Mark Murray
First Read has confirmed the news that embattled New York Gov. David Paterson (D) is dropping his bid for election, according to a top Democratic Party official with knowledge of the decision.

The news comes after the New York Times reported that Paterson had personally intervened in a domestic violence matter involving a top aide, and it also comes after Paterson had officially launched his campaign for governor last weekend.

Paterson's decision opens the door wide open for Andrew Cuomo (D) to enter the race.

Yesterday's Blair House Project was an extraordinary (if unproductive) exercise… House Ethics Committee admonishes Charlie Rangel… GOP Sen. Jim Bunning launches one-man filibuster against extending unemployment insurance… Hillary Clinton makes news -- and few notice… First Read's Top 10 primaries… David Paterson sees political buzzards circling above him… And Sanford vs. Sanford to be televised.

From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Ali Weinberg
*** The Blair House Project: We learned that televising all congressional proceedings clearly isn't the solution to Washington's ills, huh? Still, yesterday's Blair House Project was a pretty extraordinary exercise. President Obama, who essentially served as moderator-in-chief, used the health-care summit to make the case that the Democratic health-care bills aren't radical (if they don't have a public option, how do they represent a government takeover?), and that they included a fair number of GOP ideas. Much like he did at his State of the Union, Obama also tried to elevate himself above the partisan fray, even if he engaged in it himself (example: his testy exchange with McCain). As for Republicans, they used the summit to produce their ideas on health care, as well as voice all of their complaints about the Dem health-care bills in one setting.

*** The silly clock and the partisan Old Bulls: One thing that was crystal clear: The Republicans' prep session helped them stay on the same page, while there was an uneven relationship between the president and congressional Democrats. But the GOP's beef about Obama (119 minutes) and Democrats (114 minutes) getting more combined time to speak than they did (110 minutes) was pretty silly, given that everyone got to talk plenty at the seven-hour summit. Overall, the congressional leaders -- Pelosi, Reid, Boehner, McConnell -- acted the most partisan, while less high-profile members -- like Paul Ryan, Tom Coburn, George Miller -- came across as more appealing.

*** Moving forward: All that said, we're not sure what the summit accomplished from the White House's perspective other than -- as NBC's Savannah Guthrie pointed out yesterday -- to cleanse the process for the public, so the White House and congressional Democrats could push the final reform through via reconciliation and not have it look like they did it behind closed doors. Obama himself said that the public doesn't really care about process (although the furor over the "Cornhusker Kickback" is evidence to the contrary. "I do think [the American people] want a vote on how we're going to move this forward," he said. "A majority vote makes sense." In his concluding remarks, Obama asked for the GOP to do "some soul-searching" to see if they would come up with compromises to insure more Americans. And after a month or so, if they were unable to do so, he said that Democrats would go ahead with their plans. In one sense, the entire summit was a debate, complete with both party committees sending out fact-checks and "what they're saying" about the performances.

*** Rangel gets admonished: One of the participants at yesterday's summit, Charlie Rangel, got some unwelcome news afterward. Roll Call reports that Rangel "acknowledged Thursday the House ethics committee has admonished him for accepting privately funded travel to the Caribbean in 2007 and 2008 that apparently violated House rules -- but he denied wrongdoing on his part. The House ethics panel announced Thursday night that five other Members who attended the same trips inadvertently violated House rules, and said all six lawmakers must repay the costs of the trip. Rangel announced in a Thursday night press conference that the ethics committee is admonishing him for the trips, concluding that the he is responsible for two of his staffers who failed to report that corporate money helped fund them." Does Pelosi stand by Rangel, especially if more ethics news comes out about him? She's always been loyal to the old bulls, stubbornly so. Remember, this is only the beginning of Rangel's problems, there's more to come on this investigation.

*** Bunning goes for a shutout: Roll Call also notes that GOP Sen. Jim Bunning launched a one-man filibuster last night against legislation aimed at extending unemployment benefits and health insurance help for the jobless, many of which expire on Sunday. "Although Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill) is expected to resume attempts to pass the extensions Friday morning, Bunning has said he will continue to object, and with lawmakers gone for the weekend, there is little chance the bill will pass before Sunday. Bunning refused to allow the bill to pass unless Democrats agreed to pay for it with unused stimulus funds. Although Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) had worked out a deal to vote on Bunning's funding plan, Bunning refused to go along with it." 

*** Hillary in the news: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has made some interesting news in the past couple of days, which got lost in all the focus on the health care summit. First, in testimony on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, she argued that the political gridlock and partisanship was hurting America's image abroad. "People don't understand the way our system operates, they just don't get it," she said, per the Washington Post. "And their view does color whether the United States ... is in a position going forward to demonstrate the kind of unity and strength and effectiveness that I think we have to in this very complex and dangerous world." Then yesterday -- ironically -- she engaged in some partisanship of her own by criticizing former Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan. "I served on the budget committee in the Senate, and I remember, as vividly as if it were yesterday, when we had a hearing in which Alan Greenspan came and justified increasing spending and cutting taxes, saying that we didn't really need to pay down the debt -- outrageous in my view," she said.

*** First Read's Top 10 Primaries: If it's Friday, it's time for another First Read Top 10 list. With Texas holding its primaries on Tuesday, we take a look at what we consider the Top 10 primaries. The number in parenthesis is our ranking from last month.

1. FL SEN -- R (1): The great Crist-vs.-Rubio primary has gotten even better for junkies, with the skirmish over Rubio's credit card statements and his upcoming travel to South Carolina.
2. TX GOV -- R (2): The Perry-vs.-Hutchison contest began as a primary for the ages. Does it end with a whimper on Tuesday?
3. PA SEN -- D (3): Specter vs. Sestak remains the best Democratic primary of the cycle, though Sestak has not yet done the push that some might have expected by now. 
4. KY SEN -- R (9): The Trey Grayson vs. Rand Paul primary is the biggest mover on our list. Grayson is on the offensive -- on the issue of coal.
5. AZ SEN -- R (5): McCain holds a sizable lead over J.D. Hayworth in the polls. But this primary is on our radar screen -- and others' -- because of McCain's prominence as the party's 2008 presidential nominee.
6. NY SEN -- D (7): Harold Ford Jr. still isn't officially in the race to challenge Kirsten Gillibrand. But it's providing plenty of conflict and entertainment. 
7. SC GOV -- R (6): The best primary Washington political reporters aren't talking about. But everyone will want to get to know the winner as the 2012 presidential race approaches.
8. UT SEN -- R (10): As we mentioned last month, this is the best GOP ideological fight no one is talking about. As Fletch once said, "The story IS Utah, Frank" 
9. NV SEN and GOV -- R (unlisted): The Senate field is lackluster, but both Sue Lowden and Danny Tarkanian are leading Harry Reid in general-election hypotheticals. And incumbent Gov. Jim Gibbons is trailing challenger Brian Sandoval.
10. KS SEN -- R (unlisted): GOP Congressmen Jerry Moran and Todd Tiahrt are duking it out to replace Sam Brownback, who's running for governor.  

*** Political buzzards circling over Paterson: It seems like it's just a matter of time before New York Gov. David Paterson (D) announces that he won't be running for election after all. Here are the latest developments since the New York Times reported that Paterson had personally intervened in a domestic violence episode involving one of his top aides: 1) Paterson's top criminal justice adviser has resigned; 2) New York Rep. Steve Israel (D) has called for him to drop out of his gubernatorial race, 3) Rep. Nita Lowey has called for him to resign, and 4) Paterson himself is mulling whether to quit his race. 

*** More midterm news: In Florida, a Florida Sun Sentinel editorial board writer reports that Charlie Crist is laying the groundwork for an indie bid… In Kentucky, Trey Grayson has another TV ad hitting Rand Paul… Today's the filing deadline in North Carolina… And in Pennsylvania, Arlen Specter is whacking Joe Sestak for "mistreating his staff with miserly salaries."

*** The revolution -- er, divorce -- will be televised: Finally, the Charleston Post and Courier reports that today's divorce proceedings between South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford and Jenny Sanford will be televised. "Their divorce proceedings will be open to TV cameras and first lady Jenny Sanford will have to take the witness stand to say why her marriage to Gov. Mark Sanford is over. Court officials say various South Carolina television outlets have shown an interest in broadcasting the final hearing of Sanford v. Sanford live on Friday from the Charleston County Judicial Center, possibly live. She has to be there; he does not. Gov. Sanford has the option of filing an affidavit in lieu of an appearance."

Countdown to TX primary: 4 days
Countdown to AR filing deadline: 10 days
Countdown to OR, PA filing deadlines: 11 days
Countdown to CA, NV filing deadlines: 14 days
Countdown to IA, UT filing deadlines: 21 days
Countdown to Election Day 2010: 249 days

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"President Obama and congressional leaders gathered for an extraordinary summit on health care yesterday that offered an extended, free-flowing debate but produced no compromise. It did, however, clarify terms for the next phase of battle on Capitol Hill," the Boston Globe says. "At the end of 6 1/2 hours of spirited discussion, Obama essentially offered an ultimatum to Republicans: Work seriously with Democrats on a sweeping overhaul of the nation's health care system, or Democrats will move forward without the GOP in a matter of weeks."

"President Barack Obama wrapped up Thursday's health care summit with strong words for Republicans: Find common ground with Democrats in the next six weeks or we're moving on without you and letting voters decide in November who was wrong," Roll Call writes.

The Washington Post: "Democratic leaders face a heavy lift in reviving their stalled bill, a process that would involve intricate parliamentary maneuvering and carries no guarantee of success. But Obama signaled that if meaningful GOP cooperation does not materialize in the weeks ahead, he is ready to proceed without bipartisan support and risk the political consequences. 'The question that I'm going to ask myself and I ask of all of you is, is there enough serious effort that in a month's time or a few weeks' time or six weeks' time we could actually resolve something?' Obama said. 'And if we can't, then I think we've got to go ahead and make some decisions, and then that's what elections are for.'"

The New York Daily News calls the health summit a "failure." 

The AP's take: "Democrats and Republicans found plenty areas of agreement at President Barack Obama's health care summit, starting with a shared belief that the system needs fixing. When they delved into the details, though, consensus evaporated in many cases. The dynamic illustrated the partisan divide that's riven the health care debate and underscored the difficulty of coming together even on modest measures."

Dana Milbank: "Republicans had been hesitant to accept President Obama's invitation to participate in Thursday's White House health-care summit. Their hesitance turned out to be justified. An equal number of Democratic and Republican lawmakers assembled around a table at Blair House, and each had a chance to speak during the seven-hour televised talkathon. But members of the opposition party may not have fully understood that they were stepping into Prof. Obama's classroom, and that they were to be treated like his undisciplined pupils. Obama controlled the microphone and the clock, and he used both skillfully to limit the Republicans' time, to rebut their arguments and to always have the last word."

Paul Krugman: "If we're lucky, Thursday's summit will turn out to have been the last act in the great health reform debate, the prologue to passage of an imperfect but nonetheless history-making bill. If so, the debate will have ended as it began: with Democrats offering moderate plans that draw heavily on past Republican ideas, and Republicans responding with slander and misdirection."

"House Ways and Means Chairman Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.) acknowledged Thursday the House ethics committee has admonished him for accepting privately funded travel to the Caribbean in 2007 and 2008 that apparently violated House rules -- but he denied wrongdoing on his part," Roll Call writes. In his defense, Rangel blamed staff. "I don't want to be critical of the committee, but common sense dictates that Members of Congress should not be held responsible for what could be the wrongdoing or mistakes or errors of staff unless there's reason to believe that the Member knew or should have known, and there's nothing in the record to indicate the latter."

"The findings could jeopardize Rangel's political future," the New York Daily News adds. "Republicans have been gunning for his ouster as head of the powerful tax-writing panel. Rangel has been under scrutiny over allegations he failed to report income on his personal taxes, improperly used a rent-stabilized apartment in Harlem for his campaign office, raised cash for his City College public service school using congressional letterhead and filing incomplete House financial disclosure reports." 

Roll Call: "Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.) launched a one-man filibuster late Thursday night against a bill with several popular provisions aimed at people hit hardest by the recession. So far, he is succeeding." More: "The bill would extend expanded unemployment benefits and health insurance subsidies for the jobless, among other provisions, many of which expire Sunday. Although Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill) is expected to resume attempts to pass the extensions Friday morning, Bunning has said he will continue to object, and with lawmakers gone for the weekend, there is little chance the bill will pass before Sunday."

"Congressional Black Caucus members are dismissing a $15 billion jobs bill as inadequate, forcing House leaders to rethink their plan to vote on the measure Friday," The Hill writes.

FLORIDA: Per Taegan Goddard, a Florida Sun Sentinel editorial board writer reports: "Two highly placed and independent sources, speaking strictly on background, tell me that Gov. Charlie Crist is preparing to leave the Republican Party and run as an independent in the race for the U.S. Senate."   

ILLINOIS: Bloomberg News: "Fridays are getting tense in the Chicago campaign office of Alexi Giannoulias, the Democrat seeking the U.S. Senate seat once held by President Barack Obama. That's the day regulators announce which troubled banks they'll close. Broadway Bank in Chicago, owned by Giannoulias's family, must attract at least $75 million in capital by late April to meet terms of a consent order with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. prompted by losses on commercial real-estate loans. Even if successful, the family could lose control before November's election, dealing a blow to Democrats and an Obama friend."

A poll conducted by Research 2000 for the liberal Web site Daily Kos, released yesterday, showed Giannoulias leading Mark Kirk (R), 43%-36%.

KENTUCKY: Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson has another ad out, this one criticizing his primary rival Rand Paul's opposition to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

NEVADA: KTVN Reno reports that Republican Senate candidate Sue Lowden's company Archon Corporation fired a quarter of its employees, while Lowden gave her husband a $200,000 bonus.   

NEW YORK: Per the New York Times, "Gov. David A. Paterson's administration on Thursday faced new revelations about its intervention in a domestic violence episode involving a chief aide, and growing dismay among fellow Democrats about the governor's political future. The governor's top criminal justice adviser, Denise E. O'Donnell, resigned, saying it was 'unacceptable' that Mr. Paterson and the State Police had made contact with a woman who was seeking an order of protection against the aide, and that she could not 'in good conscience' remain in the administration."

More: "As calls grew for the governor to end his candidacy, Mr. Paterson said he would consult with party leaders over the next few days and reflect on his future."

The New York Daily News' editorial board calls for Paterson to go. "His reaffirmation of plans to run for election, while signaling that, maybe, he would change his mind, was the act of a man who has developed only a passing acquaintance with reality," the paper writes. "Well before this bizarre escapade, the voters had measured Paterson as unsuited to the Executive Mansion. Now, it will be a wonder if they don't storm the place."

PENNSYLVANIA: Sen. Arlen Specter is accusing his primary challenger Joe Sestak of "mistreating his staff with miserly salaries," Politico reports. Some of Sestak's congressional aides and campaign staffers make less than the minimum wage.

From NBC's Ali Weinberg
At the beginning of President Obama's heath care summit with a bipartisan group of congressmen, two opposing camps of activists gathered their signs, lab coats and megaphones to rally across the street from Blair House, the site of the half-day meeting.

The two groups railed against each other on 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, trying to drown each other out with shouts of "Medicare for all!" and "Kill the bill!" But both sides had one large point of agreement: neither support the bill in its current form.

"We don't like what's in this bill," said Gregory Junemann, the president of International Federation of Professional Technical Engineers, a union which includes health care employees. Junemann was protesting with a group in favor of a public health insurance option, a provision that does not appear in the Senate version of the bill.

As a union member, Junemann was also concerned about the "Cadillac tax," a surcharge on individuals and families with pricier policies, which House Democrats and union members contend would unfairly affect organized laborers. "They have to raise the surcharge tax to a point where it doesn't hurt our members," Junemann said.

David Barrows, a Washington D.C. resident, came to the event sporting a popular look among pro-public option activists: a hospital gown over his clothes with a plastic bare bottom visible beneath the gown and a sign around his neck that said "Are you covered?"

Barrows said he was a strong supporter of health care reform, but when asked about the current bill, Barrows said, "I think it's a big sellout, a big phony operation. What they're doign is giving the corporations just much more money and of course they're going to jack up their premiums and prices."

Barrows and the opposing "kill the bill" group agree that the health care bill leaves much to be desired. But when Barrows encountered a member of the other camp, a woman waving a "Don't Tread on Me" flag, the results were explosive.

"You're not listening to me!" the woman, who chose not to give her name, said.

"It's like, joe the plumber. You always use the same things over and over and beat it to death," Barrows responded.

When the woman brought up the sordid conditions found in a wing of the Walter Reed Army Hospital several years ago as an example of faulty government health care, Barrows said, "That's the Army. It's Pentagon-run."

"That's the government!" a bystander pointed out.

"Well, are we going to let it stay that way, or are the people going to run this government?" Barrows shouted, then trying to rally his debate partner against a common foe. "Congress and the president both do not listen to us. I'm not for that bill across the street," he explained.

Joe Winton, a New Jersey native, shared the opposing camp's dislike of the health care bill, although on virtually opposite points. "We're all for health care reform but for reform, not a takeover."

Beth Bowman, a native of McMinn County, Tennessee, wore a sweatshirt from her local Tea Party chapter to the rally. When asked what she thought about the proceedings of today's summit, she said, "Sham Wow!"

"This is a wonderful photo op for President Obama to portray the Republicans as being obstructionist," Bowman added.

Bowman also expanded on her support for the ideology of the conservative Tea Party movement. "I've never been politically involved; I've voted all my life and I'm a lifelong Republican, but what they did with Sarah Palin, absoltuely crucifying her, got me motivated," she said.

When asked if she would vote for Tea Party candidates against a Republican, however, Bowman demurred. "I'm not going to split the vote," she said.

From NBC's Mark Murray
In yet another exchange he had with GOP Sen. John McCain, President Obama affirmed that the Democratic Senate would pass any health-care fixes via reconciliation, if he and the Republicans were unable to reach an agreement.

It began when McCain mentioned his "Gang of 14" work to resolve the Senate stand-off on George W. Bush's judicial nominees. McCain warned that using reconciliation would have potentially disastrous results.

Obama suggested that reconciliation was a legitimate course of action. "I do think [the American people] want a vote on how we're going to move this forward," he said. "A majority vote makes sense."

The president added that this matter could be "bridged if we could come to an agreement on a way to move forward."

An additional note: McCain compared reconciliation to the stand-off on judges. But the two are completely different situations. During that judicial stand-off, Senate Republicans were proposing to eliminate the filibuster. On the other hand, reconciliation is a tried and true practice that both parties have used to pass controversial legislation affecting the budget (whether it's tax cuts, tax increases, or changes to health care).

From NBC's Kelly O'Donnell
The president and Sen. McCain had another exchange with a decidedly different, less agitated tone. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell interrupted the president while he was discussing with Rep. Ryan changes that would eliminate Medicare Advantage to say that McCain wanted to say something. This was apparently McCain's chance to finish a thought cut off earlier in the day that drew much attention.

McCain asked emphatically why if the president supported ending Medicare Advantage would 800,000 seniors in Florida would get to keep their Medicare Advantage while seniors elsewhere in the country would not. The president paused and said McCain made a "good point." McCain appeared to be ready to keep going and then caught himself, smiled and  simply said, "Thank you."

The president shot a wide smile (and perhaps winked), and there were laughs. One might interpret it as an olive branch after the testy exchange earlier today.

From NBC's Mark Murray
Did anyone else have a flashback to the 2008 presidential campaign -- or even the three presidential debates?

During today's televised health-care summit, GOP Sen. John McCain was criticizing the various deals the White House cut with industry groups to help pass reform. President Obama interjected to respond, and McCain quickly cut him off.

After McCain finished, Obama replied, "We are not campaigning anymore. The election is over."

"I know about that every single day," McCain responded. 

From NBC's Norah O'Donnell, Domenico Montanaro, and Mark Murray
Earlier this morning, Republicans -- including Sens. Lamar Alexander and Jon Kyl -- said that health-care premiums would go up under the Democratic plans.

President Obama responded, "It's not factually accurate. Here's what the Congressional Budget Office says: The costs for families for the same type Of coverage as they're currently receiving would go down 14% To 20%."

According to the Pulitzer Prize-winning Politifact, the CBO said that -- for the most part -- premiums would go down or stay the same.

"The CBO reported that, for most people, premiums would stay about the same, or slightly decrease. This was especially true for people who get their insurance through work. (Health policy wonks call these the large group and small group markets.) People who have to go out and buy insurance on their own (the individual market) would see rates increase by 10 to 13 percent. But more than half of those people -- 57 percent, in fact -- would be eligible for subsidies to help them pay for the insurance. People who get subsidies would see their premiums drop by more than half, according to the CBO. So most people would see their premiums stay the same or potentially drop."

Here's the Washington Post's Ezra Klein: "Yes, the CBO found health-care reform would reduce premiums. The issue gets confused because it also found that access to subsidies would encourage people to buy more comprehensive insurance, which would mean that the value of their insurance would be higher after reform than before it. But that's not the same as insurance becoming more expensive: The fact that I could buy a nicer car after getting a better job suggests that cars are becoming pricier. The bottom line is that if you're comparing two plans that are exactly the same, costs go down after reform."

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
Lamar Alexander (R-TN), in his opening remarks, said Republicans are not open to any form of "comprehensive legislation," because the Senate's not good on it -- whether it's immigration, health care or anything else. 

So what's the point of another five hours of this, right -- aside from the theatre stuff for all sides that we laid out in First Thoughts?

From NBC's Mark Murray
As mentioned earlier, Sen. Lamar Alexander (R) called on President Obama to "renounce" using reconciliation, if this is truly a bipartisan exercise.

Obama's reply: Let's figure out the areas where Democrats and Republicans agree, the areas where they don't, and "make an honest assessment whether we can bridge these differences."

"My hope is that we can," he said, but adding that they might not be able to.

"Let's talk about the substance" -- on costs, coverage, insurance -- "and we might surprise ourselves that we agree more than we disagree."

So Obama's response was not to talk reconciliation off the table, but talk first.

From NBC's Mark Murray
In a deft move, the Republicans turned to the congenial Lamar Alexander to make the GOP's opening remarks at today's health-care summit.

Alexander called for President Obama and the Democrats to start over. "This is a car that can't be recalled and can't be fixed… We need to start over."

Alexander also made this interesting argument: Congress doesn't do a good job passing comprehensive bills -- health care, immigration, energy. "We don't do comprehensive well," he said. "They fall of their own weight. Our country is too big, too complicated, too decentralized…

The Tennessee senator also said that the best way to increase health-care access is to reduce costs.

Finally, he said that if today's meeting is truly bipartisan, the White House needs to "renounce" the idea of "jamming a partisan vote on reconciliation." He added, "It has never been used for anything like this."

From NBC's Mark Murray
In his opening remarks, President Obama just said: "What I'm hoping to accomplish today is … to focus on where we agree, because there actually is some significant agreement."

And in the beginning, he mentioned statements that GOP participants John McCain, Chuck Grassley, Mike Enzi, and Mitch McConnell said about the need for health reform. 

Obama said that in each of the four discussions -- on controlling costs, insurance reforms, reducing the deficit, and expanding coverage -- he will begin by mentioning where Democrats and Republicans agree. "Then let's talk about where we disagree and bridge the gaps."

It's show time for the health-care summit, which begins at 10:00 am ET… Obama's two audiences -- 1) the public and 2) rank-and-file congressional Dems… The GOP's war room… Are Roy Blunt, Dan Coats, and Rob Portman the change you can believe in?... Ditto for Paul Hodes, Charlie Melancon, and Kendrick Meek… Credit card wars down in Florida… And is David Paterson done in New York?

From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Ali Weinberg
*** Show time: You might have forgotten this, but President Obama hosted another bipartisan summit on health care nearly a year ago, on March 5, 2009. And since that time, we've seen endless partisan bickering over the issue, millions of dollars in TV ads, countless committee and floor votes, the summer town halls, the joint address to Congress ("You lie"), initial passage in November and December, and finally Scott Brown's election in Massachusetts. Now it has come to this -- a televised summit on health care at the Blair House beginning at 10:00 am ET. Will today's summit convince any Republicans? Not a chance. Will it be any different than what we've heard over the past year? Unlikely. Will it be full of health policy arcana? You betcha. But if anything, the summit -- and the build-up to it -- has achieved this goal: It has focused everyone's attention on health care. And if the White House is going to convince Democrats to vote for the legislation, it needs their attention.  

*** What to expect: The White House has two audiences. The first is the viewing public, whom it hopes to persuade that it has reached out to Republicans -- and even adopted their ideas -- as it begins laying the groundwork to use reconciliation to pass the fixes in the Senate. The second (and perhaps more crucial) audience are rank-and-file congressional Democrats. As we explained yesterday, the big game is getting the 217 House Democrats to pass the Senate bill. The votes are there, potentially, but getting them won't be easy. As for Republicans, their hope is to stand firm as they point to public polls showing that the overall Obama health-reform effort is unpopular. Yet in perhaps a sign of how nervous Republicans believe they might fare against the president inside the summit, they've set up a so-called "truth squad" outside the proceedings. Let the games begin!

*** How it will work: The six-hour summit is broken down into five parts. First are the opening remarks -- by the president and the Democratic and GOP congressional leaders. Then comes a discussion on controlling costs, which will be introduced by the president. Next, is a talk on insurance reforms, which will be led by HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. Then there's discussion of reducing the deficit, which Vice President Biden will start. And finally, there will be a conversation on expanding coverage, and Obama will once again lead that discussion.

*** Who will attend: The Democratic congressional attendees: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, Chuck Schumer, Patty Murray, Max Baucus, Chris Dodd, Tom, Harkin, Jay Rockefeller, Kent Conrad, Ron Wyden, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, Charlie Rangel, George Miller, Henry Waxman, John Dingell, Xavier Becerra, Louise Slaughter, Rob Andrews, and Jim Cooper. On the GOP side: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl, Lamar Alexander, Chuck Grassley, Mike Enzi, John McCain, Tom Coburn, John Barrasso, House Minority Leader John Boehner, House Minority Whip Eric Cantor, Joe Barton, Dave Camp, John Kline, Marsha Blackburn, Charles Boustany, Peter Roskam, and Paul Ryan.

*** No chance of Snowe: By the way, one member of Congress who won't be attending is Sen. Olympia Snowe (R). The White House tried to invite her at the last minute, but she declined, saying it wasn't appropriate to go around the Senate leadership. Snowe's office released this statement yesterday: "The Republican leadership had long since selected their team and therefore, it would have been inappropriate for Senator Snowe, under those circumstances, to accept the invitation… Throughout this process, Senator Snowe has been sharing her views with the White House and she assured the White House today that she will continue to play a leadership role on this vital issue in the days and weeks after tomorrow's event."  

*** Change you can believe in? If Republicans fail to make significant gains in the Senate this November, it probably meant 1) that the economy got better, 2) that national Republicans made key blunders, and 3) that some of the candidates they recruited were flawed, especially in this political environment. Indeed, a few of the top-tier GOP candidates are hardly new faces. For instance, the Republican candidate in Missouri is Rep. Roy Blunt, who served under Denny Hastert and Tom DeLay as House whip. In Ohio, the preferred GOP candidate is former Rep./Bush administration official Rob Portman. And in Indiana, the preferred nominee is former GOP Sen./lobbyist Dan Coats. "These are not agents of change," DSCC Chair Bob Menendez told reporters yesterday. And if Republicans are unable to defeat Harry Reid, it will be because they couldn't lure a candidate better than either Sue Lowden or Danny Tarkanian.

*** Same old, same old: But if Blunt, Coats, and Portman aren't agents of change, then that's also true of Democratic incumbents like Reid, Blanche Lincoln, and Arlen Specter. And then there are the Dem candidates in Florida, Louisiana, and New Hampshire. As NRSC spokesman Brian Walsh emailed First Read yesterday, "We look forward to highlighting [Menendez's] statements … in states like New Hampshire, Louisiana and Florida, among others, because I can't imagine Paul Hodes, Charlie Melancon and Kendrick Meek will be happy to learn that they've been deemed 'Washington insiders.'"

*** American Express -- can't leave home without it: The Crist and Rubio camps are sparring over reports that Rubio "charged grocery bills, repairs to the family minivan and purchases from a wine store less than a mile from his West Miami home to the Republican Party of Florida while he was speaker of the Florida House… Rubio said Wednesday that he paid for all personal expenses billed to an American Express card given to him by the party to use from 2005 to 2008, when he left public office. The rest of the charges, he said, were legitimate party expenses." The Rubio camp is accusing Crist and his allies of leaking Rubio's credit card statement. "It is clear these internal documents were taken from the [state party] by former chairman Jim Greer or someone working for him and were leaked to the media by the Crist campaign," Rubio said in a letter to the FL GOP.

*** Incoming! This battle over Rubio's credit card expenses, as well as the news that he plans to travel to South Carolina next month, mark the first time that the conservative rock star has taken direct hits since becoming the front-runner in his race against Crist. And don't miss this statement from Rubio defending purchasing airplane tickets for his wife on the state party's credit card. "'My wife was the first lady of the Florida House of Representatives, and it is absolutely appropriate for her to accompany me to official events and party functions,' Rubio said." First lady of the Florida House of Representatives? Have you heard Harry Reid, Denny Hastert, etc. refer to their wives that way?

*** Is David Paterson done? The New York Times with a potential coup de grace on David Paterson: "Last fall, a woman went to court in the Bronx to testify that she had been violently assaulted by a top aide to Gov. David A. Paterson, and to seek a protective order against the man. In the ensuing months, she returned to court twice to press her case, complaining that the State Police had been harassing her to drop it. The State Police, which had no jurisdiction in the matter, confirmed that the woman was visited by a member of the governor's personal security detail. Then, just before she was due to return to court to seek a final protective order, the woman got a phone call from the governor, according to her lawyer. She failed to appear for her next hearing on Feb. 8, and as a result her case was dismissed."

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"President Barack Obama's bipartisan health care summit may take place today," Roll Call writes, "but the defining moment will come the day after, when Democrats decide once and for all whether to go it alone to pass a bill."

The Washington Post makes a similar point: "Congressional Democrats are already looking beyond the White House health-care summit, reckoning that Thursday's session will amount to little more than political theater and focusing instead on a final round of intraparty negotiations that are likely to determine the fate of President Obama's top domestic priority."

The New York Times looks at the lack of chemistry between Obama and congressional Republicans.

"The abortion 15-20: here are 15-20 House Democrats who are withholding their support for President Barack Obama's healthcare proposal, Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) said Wednesday," The Hill writes. "Stupak led a broad coalition of anti-abortion Democrats in November, demanding that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) include tough abortion restrictions in the lower chamber's legislation lest she lose a chance of passing the bill."

But The Hill also looks at Democratic centrist senators who appear to be at least open to supporting the health-care legislation: "President Barack Obama's healthcare proposal is easing the minds of centrist Democratic senators who grew skittish after the election of Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.). The centrists said they are feeling less pressure now that Obama has used the Senate bill as the foundation for his proposal and are happy with the president's decision to hold Thursday's bipartisan healthcare summit."

"The Obama administration is no longer insisting on the creation of a stand-alone consumer protection agency as a central element of the plan to remake regulation of the financial system," the Washington Post front-pages. "In hopes of quick congressional approval of a reform bill, White House officials are opening the door to compromise with lawmakers concerned about creating a new bureaucracy, according to congressional and some administration sources."

More: "President Obama's economic team is now open to housing the consumer regulator inside another agency, such as the Treasury Department, though they still prefer a stand-alone agency. In either case, they are insisting on a regulator with political autonomy and real teeth so it can effectively enforce rules designed to protect consumers of mortgages, credit cards and other financial products."

The Democratic-leaning group Americans United for Change is running a TV ad in Montana supporting Sen. Jon Tester's fight for financial reform. "We want to lend our support to Senator Tester who is standing up against a mounting campaign to prevent meaningful efforts in Congress to crack down on abusive big bank practices," the group said.

"Speaking to a group of corporate leaders, [Obama] defended his spending, tax and regulatory initiatives as the natural response to a historic economic crisis. Declaring himself an 'ardent believer in the free market,' Mr. Obama challenged a line of criticism that has fueled discontent with his presidency. The policies of his first year in office, he said, 'were about saving the economy from collapse, not about expanding government's reach into the economy.'"

"Vice President Joe Biden has been disclosing records and cooperating with federal agencies that Dick Cheney often rebuffed," The Hill writes. "Biden's actions are consistent with his comments on the campaign trail, where he criticized then-Vice President Cheney for not providing the information. And Biden seems to be putting an end to the George W. Bush administration's assertion that the vice president is not solely part of the executive branch… Many experts on the vice presidency believe it's a return to what has been standard practice for the office."

"In what Democrats hope is the first in a series of legislative victories, the Senate on Wednesday easily approved a $15 billion plan to spur job creation, a vote that lawmakers hoped would show that they were taking steps to improve the nation's employment outlook," the New York Times says.

The Hill looks at the severed relationship between Majority Leader Reid and John McCain, and it all hinges on the 2008 election. "In 2004, McCain and Reid — who are both avid boxing fans — attended a championship fight together in Nevada," The Hill writes. "The 2008 election changed much between the two men. During the election year, Reid said he 'couldn't stand' McCain and labeled his campaign tactics 'scummy. He later acknowledged he had 'said things I wish I hadn't said.'" McCain told The Hill: "It's very confusing because he was very personal in his attacks on me during the [2008 presidential] campaign, and then occasionally he'll stand up on the floor of the Senate and say, 'Oh, this good guy McCain.' I don't understand this. I don't understand it."

Some would argue they don't understand McCain's changed legislative record, either. And Reid has publicly echoed that: "In a January New York Times article, Reid was quoted saying McCain has failed to live up to his potential as a 'statesman' since the election. Earlier this month, Reid said, 'John has no reason to be the way he is. He's become very, very kind of opposed to everything.'"

Here's a tough argument to make: "Amid mounting criticism, House Republicans said this week it is not hypocritical to vote against the stimulus and later seek money from it for their districts. After standing united in opposition to the president's economic stimulus bill a little more than a year ago, many Republicans have touted the benefits of that measure back in their districts, according to a comprehensive list compiled by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC)."

"Roughly one of four donations to House candidates so far this election cycle is coming from individual donors from outside states," CQ reports. The top three out-of-state recipients are Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) with 99.6% of his individual donations from outside his state; Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME) with 93% and House candidate Linda Stender (D-NJ) with 92.8%.

ARIZONA: Sen. John McCain has a new Web ad linking statements by his Republican challenger, former Rep. J.D. Hayworth, to those of "birthers" like Orly Taitz and Philip Berg, who doubt President Obama's citizenship.

COLORADO: The Hill: "Political observers say -- and supporters of [Sen. Michael] Bennet worry -- that [Democratic primary challenger Andrew] Romanoff will gather momentum with a strong showing at the caucuses next month and the state assembly in May, using it to create a real race before the Aug. 10 primary. Conversely, they say losing at the state assembly could represent the end of the road… When it comes to the state's primary process, the word "Byzantine" is often invoked. The March 16 precinct caucuses lead into county and district assemblies in April, which eventually lead to the state assembly on May 22. At the state assembly, candidates must get 30 percent of the vote to make the ballot, or get at least 10 percent and then petition onto the ballot. Alternatively, a candidate can skip the process and simply petition to get on the ballot. But whoever receives the most votes at the assembly gets the top of the ballot in the August primary."

FLORIDA: Florida Senate candidate Marco Rubio is on the defensive today after the Miami Herald and St. Petersburg Times report that he "charged grocery bills, repairs to the family minivan and purchases from a wine store less than a mile from his West Miami home to the Republican Party of Florida while he was speaker of the Florida House." Rubio said Wednesday that he paid for all personal expenses billed to an American Express card given to him by the party to use from 2005 to 2008, when he left public office. The rest of the charges, he said, were legitimate party expenses. Those expenses include a $1,000 charge at Braman Honda in Miami for repairs to the family car in January 2008. Rubio said the minivan was damaged by parking attendants at a political function and that the party agreed to cover half of his insurance deductible. The party also paid $2,976 for him to rent a car in Miami for five weeks, according to the records provided by a confidential source.  Rubio said the party allowed him to put personal expenses on the card -- and the party reviewed his bill monthly."

Rubio's explanation: "I was as diligent as possible to ensure the party did not pay for items that were unrelated to party business. There was no formal process provided by the Party regarding personal charges.'' And the state party, not exactly backing him up: "Party spokeswoman Katie Gordon said the card was not supposed to be used for personal expenses. 'The RPOF American Express card is a corporate card and is meant to be used for business expenses.'"

NEW YORK: The hits (via the New York Times) keep coming for David Paterson. "Last fall, a woman went to court in the Bronx to testify that she had been violently assaulted by a top aide to Gov. David A. Paterson, and to seek a protective order against the man. In the ensuing months, she returned to court twice to press her case, complaining that the State Police had been harassing her to drop it. The State Police, which had no jurisdiction in the matter, confirmed that the woman was visited by a member of the governor's personal security detail. Then, just before she was due to return to court to seek a final protective order, the woman got a phone call from the governor, according to her lawyer. She failed to appear for her next hearing on Feb. 8, and as a result her case was dismissed."

"On Wednesday night, in response to inquiries from The New York Times, Mr. Paterson said in a statement that he would request that Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo investigate his administration's handling of the matter. The governor also said he would suspend Mr. Johnson without pay. Through a spokesman, Mr. Paterson said the call actually took place the day before the scheduled court hearing and maintained that the woman had initiated it. He declined to answer further questions about his role in the matter."

Hey, Harold Ford, welcome to New York, Part 987: "Harold Ford Jr. was blasted last night at the Stonewall Democratic Club, where gay activists shouted him down and questioned his new stand in favor of same-sex marriage. For 30 minutes, Ford, who is weighing a New York Democratic primary challenge to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, was hammered for his two House votes in support of the Federal Marriage Amendment, which would have constitutionally banned gay marriage. Ford was repeatedly interrupted by many of the 250 people who packed the room, insisting he had come to understand that civil unions were not equal to marriage."

The New York Daily News adds, "Ford tried to explain how he went from voting to ban gay marriage with a constitutional amendment in 2006 as a Tennessee congressman to now supporting it as he mulls a primary bid against Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. It wasn't an easy message to get out in a raucous 30 minutes at the W. 13th St. club. Ford was interrupted repeatedly by chants of 'No more lies, no more lies' and 'Snake-oil Harry, go away.' At one point, several audience members raised signs with slogans like, 'It's the lies, stupid!' At the end of the session, someone even ignited a loud but harmless confetti bomb -- sending a noticeable jolt through Ford and others.

TEXAS: "Minuteman Project founder Jim Gilchrist on Wednesday endorsed Rick Perry for re-election as governor," the Dallas Morning News reports. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison's camp responded to the endorsement: "When it comes to border security, Rick Perry's a Minuteman in the campaign but then takes a minute to forget what he said when the election is over."

From NBC's John Yang
How bad is the Illinois budget deficit? So bad that the governor, who's facing a tough race this fall, is doing something unthinkable in an election year -- he's talking about raising taxes.

Democrat Pat Quinn, who became governor when Rod Blagojevich was impeached and convicted, told reporters that it's "necessary" that the Illinois House consider increasing the state income tax. The state Senate approved an increase last year.

Quinn's comments came as he launched an interactive Web site laying out the details of the state's projected $13 million budget deficit (nearly one-quarter of the $55 million budget), presenting options for closing the gap, and asking for suggestions. Among the options is a tax increase. "Illinois' current tax structure can no longer finance the state's fundamental needs," the site says.

On March 10, Quinn is to submit his proposed budget for the spending year that begins July 1. There are no easy -- or popular -- choices. Eliminating all state employees would only reduce the deficit by less than a third, $4 billion.

Not an enviable position for someone on the ballot this fall.