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Show World&Nation Page 12 Friday, Feb. 26, 2010 Dems to try final push in health care debate WASHINGTON (AP) — Giving no ground, President Barack Obama and Republican leaders fought forcefully for their competing visions of historic health care reform Thursday in an exhausting, often-testy live-on-TV debate. Far from any accord, Obama signaled the Democrats were prepared to push ahead for an all-or-nothing congressional vote. The marathon, seven-hour session did reveal narrow areas of agreement on the topic that has vexed Congress for months and defied U.S. leaders for decades. But larger ideological differences overwhelmed any common ideas, all but cementing the widely held view that a meaningful bipartisan health care bill is not possible as time grows short in this election year. Obama rejected Republican preferences for starting over, discussing the issue much longer or dealing with it in a limited, step-by-step fashion. "We cannot have another yearlong debate about this," Obama declared. "I'm not sure we can bridge the gap." Party officials said March is probably the last chance to act. It has been more than a year since he proposed his overhaul, which would be important to virtually all Americans in remaking the way they receive and pay for health care. The version he embraces, basically tracking legislation passed by the Senate, would expand health coverage to some 30 million people who lack it and stop insurance companies from dropping people for questionable reasons or denying coverage to people who have certain illnesses. Obama and the Democrats portray the current situation as a major crisis, with tens of millions of people left with no health insurance at all and health care costs threatening to bankrupt the nation. The Republicans see problems as well, but seek more modest steps to deal with them and say Obama's plan would run up the federal deficit — despite his claims to the contrary. Obama strongly suggested that Democrats will try to pass a sweeping overhaul without GOP support, by using controversial Senate budget rules that would disallow filibusters. And then, he said, this fall's elections would write the verdict on who was right. Democratic leaders tried to portray Republicans as hypocrites for denouncing parliamentary tactics they, too, have used. Democratic leaders hope to embolden colleagues who worry about re-election races in the face of polls showing substantial dislike for the party's approach. SENATE MAJORITY LEADER HARRY REID of Nev.ada left, walks past Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, at the Blair House in Washington,Thursday, Feb. 25, before the start of a health care reform meeting with President Barack Obama. AP photo The Democrats-only strategy could face particularly strong resistance in the House, where 39 party members voted against an Obama-backed health care bill last year. Democratic officials confirmed Thursday that the White House has developed a slimmeddown health care plan as a possible "Plan B" fallback. But that contingency also faces problems, including possible defections from House liber- als who insist the overhaul must be expansive. Democratic officials conceded it's possible that no health care legislation will pass this year, which would leave their candidates with little to show while Republicans claimed a big win. At Thursday's summit, Rep. Eric Cantor, the No. 2 House Republican, agreed with Obama that "we have a very difficult gap to bridge here." But he differed strenuously about resolving it. "We just can't afford this," he said of the $1 trillion, 10-year proposal. "That's the ultimate problem." Cable news networks carried long portions of the summit, which featured 38 lawmakers sitting around a square table heaped with documents and notepads. They spoke of arcane issues such as insurance "rescissions" between sharp partisan exchanges. Moderator Obama, looking annoyed at times, interrupted Republicans fairly often, and a few of them interrupted him back. At one point, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky accused him of shortchanging the GOP on opportunities to speak. With the conversation veering between mind-numbing detail and flaring tempers, the two sides held onto long-entrenched positions. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., derided Obama's plan. "This is a car that can't be recalled and fixed," he said, "and we ought to start over." Alexander challenged Obama's claim that insurance premiums would fall under the Democratic legislation. "You're wrong," he said. Responded Obama: "I'm pretty certain I'm not wrong." Democratic officials said House and Senate leaders will confer with colleagues in coming days or weeks to see if they have enough votes to push a far-reaching bill through both chambers with no GOP help. Republicans repeatedly pressed Obama to renounce the possibility of using "budget reconciliation" rules to push the Democratic plans through the Senate without allowing GOP filibusters. Obama brushed them off, saying they seemed more interested in process than substance. Americans want a decision on health care, the president said, and most of them think "a majority vote makes sense." Democrats control 59 of the Senate's 100 seats, one vote short of the number needed to halt bill-killing filibusters. Top Democrats described the summit as the beginning of the end of their long push to overhaul health care, a bid rocked by raucous, conservative-dominated forums last summer that threw Democrats on the defensive. Eyeing the November elections, rank-and-file Democratic lawmakers are desperate to resolve the debate and focus on jobs and economic revival. "If nothing comes of this, we're going to press forward," Democratic Senate Whip Richard Durbin told reporters during a break in the summit. "We just can't quit." Mexico deputy police chief slain at son's school CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico (AP) — Mexican authorities said Thursday that gunmen killed a deputy police chief outside an elementary school as his wife, son and other students and parents looked on. Eduardo Ezparza, the spokesman for prosecutors in northern Chihuahua state, said the shooting occurred Wednesday in the state capital, also named Chihuahua. City police coordinator Antonio Olague, 39, was dropping his 8-year-old son off at school when assailants in a car opened fire. Olague was hit by eight bullets. Police had no suspects. Police spokesman Jesus Reyes said Olague was on the force for almost 20 years and received some training in the United States. He was secondin-command of the city police force. Chihuahua is the worst-hit region in Mexico's brutal drug gang violence. Elsewhere, police in the border city of Tijuana arrested four men Thursday on suspicion links to a plot to kill the police chief there, Julian Leyzaola. Authorities said the four men were detained with five assault rifles. They said tests confirmed one rifle was the same weapon used in a shootout in which gunmen disguised their vehicles as Mexican army units in a bid to kill Leyzaola, who has become known for his tough stance in cracking down on police corruption and gangs in Tijuana. The four are believed to have worked for Teodoro "El Teo" Garcia Simental, the Tijuana drug gang leader captured Jan. 12 in Baja California. Cartels have killed dozens of police and government officials in reaction to a frontal assault by thousands of troops and federal police deployed across Mexico. www.a-bay-usu.com 7' ClassiiedAdS Utah State University • L Please Note: E-mail missing? Phone number not here? Check the complete listings at www.a-bay-usu.com . These ads are self-initiated and sometimes people forget. Roommates CLARK PEST CONTROL NOW HIRING FOR OUTSIDE SALES POSITIONS IN: *BAKERSFIELD, CA *LANCASTER, CA *VISALIA, CA *FRESNO, CA *SANTA CLARITA, CA SUMMER JOBS MAY AUGUST - CONTACT TEAM LEADER PARKER FOLKMAN 208-221-7578 PARKERFOLKMAN@GMAIL.COM ommmiityOummrt CLARK ■ PEST CONTROL ■ ai L.I 6 E t an, Utah • www.aggietownsquare.com ROOMMATES WANTED! Looking for one or two more female roommates to sign at Riverside Apartments for next fall/spring so we can fill the apartment and get a discount on the rent. Private room, private bathroom, covered parking. I've been living here for a year, and I love it! 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