Obama's challenge

Mark Mardell|19:34 UK time, Wednesday, 3 March 2010

The president is throwing down the gauntlet to Republicans:

"I believe the United States Congress owes the American people a final vote on health care reform. We have debated this issue thoroughly, not just for a year, but for decades. Reform has already passed the House with a majority. It has already passed the Senate with a supermajority of 60 votes. And now it deserves the same kind of up-or-down vote that was cast on welfare reform, the Children's Health Insurance Program, COBRA health coverage for the unemployed, and both Bush tax cuts - all of which had to pass Congress with nothing more than a simple majority."

Republicans will reject this almost instantly. One conservative website has already put together a montage of clips showing Obama saying he wouldn't govern like this.

CNN are quoting a White House insider saying this is a "last helicopter out of Saigon " strategy.

Fleeing a lost war is not the most optimistic metaphor for an adviser to adopt. And it still may go down in flames.