Well, if you didn’t know who was the President before watching the Health Care Summit today, President Obama told you, it was him.

Moderating a bipartisan 7 1/2 hour Summit on health care reform, Obama gave a fair and balanced time balance between each party, from his perspective:  Democrats 4 hours, Republicans 2 hours.

When confronted with the time disparity by Sen. Mitch McConnell, President Obama said, “I’m the President.”

It was political theater, just as it was designed to be by the President, but he didn’t appear to come out a winner from this viewer’s perspective.

I would think that if you were holding a Summit you’re goal would be to reach the top.

Obama fell far short.

So much so, that in conclusion President Obama threatened to advance health care reform without GOP support.

The Dems tried to put a spin on how close the two political party’s  were to agreement in the passed Senate bill, but the GOP effectively widened the chasm.

In fact the Republicans, from this perspective, strategically placed their spokespersons on the issue throughout the day and effectively put down the President and his party’s view in 50% less time, pleading to start over because this is what the American people want – but there didn’t appear to be any buyers on the Dems side of the isle.

Obama continued to admonish the Republicans for delivering talking points and campaigning.  At one point he got into a contentious tangle with Sen. John McCain when he told him “the campaign is over.”

McCain fired back, “I know I hear that every day.”

The reference was to the fact that Obama hasn’t left the campaign trail one year into his first term in office.

It is ironic to the public that the transparency on Obama’s signature legislation on health care reform didn’t come until today and now the public knows why.

As columnist Charles Krauthammer observed today, “President Obama is Imperious.  Yes he got the White House, Air Force One and a personal chef, but that doesn’t give him the right to declare what is legitimate and what’s not.”

Only a few days ago in this column we pointed out the arrogance of President Obama and his intention to ram this bill through Congress anyway he can including reconciliation which means reducing the majority vote from 60 to 51, a manipulation of the intention of the nuclear option – especially with the impact that the cost of this bill would have on the national deficit.

The issue was raised by the GOP several times, but the Dems didn’t indicate any willingness to back off on this option.

The Summit was a staged event with pre- Summit debate on how the room should be designed, an oval seating format, a u-format, and they finally settled on a square shape.  There was even debate over lunch, whether it should be a boxed lunch brought into the room or a buffet held at the White House. The menu was also in play involving, chicken, salmon, salads and cold turkey.  The buffet won out.

It was Kabuki Theater.

And that’s the way the public saw it, 95% of those that watched this political theater today are still opposed to the Democrats’ bill on health care reform.

It was an imperious, ecumenical failure by the Obama Administration to try to turn around public opinion through a staged event the American people are too smart to buy into.