On the Use of Power

Republicans can learn something from Democrats about the use of power. When Democrats and liberals have it, they use it to achieve their goals.

Democrats don't care what the public thinks about health care, for example. Today's so-called "summit meeting" at Blair House is nothing more than political theatre. President Obama and his fellow left-wingers won't adopt any significant Republican, much less conservative ideas. Those ideas have been on the table for months. If Democrats wanted to embrace any of them, they would have by now.

A Gallup poll this month found 60 percent of Americans don't approve of the way the president has handled health care. Fifty-six percent oppose government running health care. And 57 percent want the president and Democrats to start over.

None of this will happen. The president's real problem isn't with Republicans, but members of his own party, some of whom don't want federal funds used for abortion or a government takeover of health care. The government can't run Medicare efficiently. Why give them even more power to do even worse things?

Cal Thomas is a nationally syndicated columnist based in Washington, D.C.