The Health Care Summit brought the naysayers and doubters to the table. President Barack Obama directed the summit on CSPAN to show that he is not afraid of transparency. The meeting was for all Americans to see and judge for themselves whether the allegations surrounding the health care bill had any validity. It was very interesting to see the Republican reaction to the President's forthright appeal to both parties that this was their chance to prove their governing powers by completing the passage of health care reform that was started in 2009. Many suggestions were articulated by both sides.

It was plain to see that the majority of the white-haired curmudgeons did not look like the knights seated at the Round Table of Camelot. King Arthur created the round table to prevent quarrels; it was a Celtic symbol that all participants had equal status. President Obama is not King Arthur. It was obvious to outsiders that a few of the Congressmen present had less than noble and honorable intentions. The true transparency became evident when the Republicans declined to engage in good faith negotiation. Both leaders of the Republican Party, John Boehner and Eric Cantor, vented their endless political spins of why health care is not in the best interest of thirty million Americans. The irony of the Republican's fight against health care exposes their efforts of stopping the very key policies they themselves authored to similar policies put forth by the Democrats. Americans got to see their true motives: it is not about health care or the needs of the American people; the Republicans have wasted countless hours to achieve one goal, and that is retrieving their political power and the White House in 2012. How? By making Barack Obama look like a complete failure as a president in the eyes of America and the world. Many of their motives are spearheaded by a subtle undercurrent of racism as shown by their long history of an unsympathetic stance on social injustice.

There were exchanges made in body language and tone of voice by both President Barack Obama and Senator John McCain. One could easily surmise traces of bad blood still resonating between them. President Obama had to remind John McCain they were no longer in campaign mode. The embarrassed John McCain understood the acrimonious comment as he bristled and became red-faced. John McCain complained about the procedural impact of the back room deals the White House made in order for the initial health care bill to pass both in the House and Senate. President's Obama's pragmatic strategy was not directed toward what happened a year ago, but was focused on how to find bipartisan solutions. The recent rise in health care premiums in California is just a foreshadowing of what will take place for average households across America if nothing is done: “Recent news reported that Feinstein, D-Calif., has joined President Obama and other elected officials in seizing on the proposed 39 percent rate hikes proposed by Anthem Blue Cross on some of its individual members in California to reenergize the debate over national health legislation."

The obstructionist party agreed to work on behalf of three million people. The philosophical differences were apparent. Civility was intact but both parties' political philosophies unraveled for all to see. Democrats believe that health care is a moral right making it an inclusive right for thirty million uninsured people. The Republicans see health care as a economic privilege thus excluding many middle class and poor people out of the health care equation. The backlash began to explode as one Republican after the other challenged the President about insurance premiums increasing under his plan along with the notion that health care will be the leading cause of our nation's deficits. Last but not least was the hidden procedural ace card, called “reconciliation.” If the Democrats use reconciliation, the Republicans’ only surviving method of death threats and Waterloo will be the infamous filibuster.

Make no mistake; the Republicans have many Americans bamboozled. Each of them expressed their rehearsed words, “Let's make a deal,” which when translated means, “Scrap the existing bill and start over.” We all know that such an approach means no health care reform. Bipartisanship in times of necessary reform is not always the convenient route.