Megan unpacks the logic of the following:
It is safe to enact a program that is going to blow a 10-gauge hole in the Federal budget, because the mere fact that we can't currently afford to pay for it will force us to, um, do something.
Well, I do see the political logic of Obama getting real health insurance reform this year (making him a liberal icon) and then pivoting toward a major, Osborne-style fiscal responsibility summit before the mid-terms (making him an Independent one).
You get everyone in the health insurance tent, then you tackle the systemic fiscal crisis in a way that doesn't violate your base. If Obama has a GOP House after 2010, he can even vie with them on how to cut the long-term debt - you know, that way of his of calling the bluff on his opponents.
Win-win for the US though.