The White House has its official Health Care Summit Twitter hash tag. The video is streaming. Soon, America will have a compromise health care bill that consists of tort reform and a capital gains tax cut.

Republicans demanded the public, on-camera summit, and then they dismissed it as political theater. (It was a refreshingly honest self-assessment of their strategy, actually.) Republicans also demanded that Barack Obama post his compromise bill online before the summit, and then they blasted him for posting a bill online before the summit.

This whole thing is a waste of time. It's only purpose: embarrass Republicans and give political cover to House Democrats to vote for this thing that they're terrified of voting for, even though they already did. Unfortunately it may actually legitimize their obstruction, and present the false idea that they have a health care plan. (They used to have a health care plan, actually. It is now the Senate Health Insurance Reform bill.)

But because no one understands policy, at all, what is looks like is "Republicans present some of their wonderful ideas and the President is petulant at them." When, in fact, it is "Republicans demand tort reform and lie about costs and the President is petulant at them."

Here is the only sound byte you need, courtesy of our President, a couple minutes ago: "Everyone went a little over time, which is not surprising in a room full of elected officials."

Update: Oh my god, Tom Coburn just blamed diabetes and obesity on food stamps. This fucking thing is a nightmare.