Play by Play: How Obama Anchored the Summit

WASHINGTON (Feb. 25) -- As much as anything else, Thursday's health care summit was a seven-hour study in presidential frustration. Whatever hopes President Barack Obama had for the long-awaited bipartisan meeting, they seemed to be dashed by the time Republicans started speaking. Part moderator, part timekeeper, part debater, Obama flashed his irritation at summit participants who talked too long, brought stale talking points or used props.

10:50 a.m.: Behind Already Less than an hour in and the complaints began: The summit was running behind schedule. "We're going to need to be more disciplined moving forward if we're going to be able to cover every item," Obama scolded. He accepted some blame for going overtime with his initial remarks. "I'll try to set the example here," he said.

11:35: Stay on Topic Obama interrupted Rep. Dave Camp's lengthy criticism about the deficit to remind him to keep his remarks to the issue of lowering health care costs for individuals. "Dave, I don't mean to interrupt. But we're going to have the whole section talking about deficits."

11:43: Republican Complaints The Senate Republican leader, Mitch McConnell, complained to the Referee-in-Chief. Obama wasn't having it, and he seemed annoyed at the interruption, but later admitted: "You're right, there was an imbalance on the opening statements because I'm the president," he said, drawing laughter from the room. "I didn't count my time."

12:05 p.m.: Talking Points Alert! Clearly tired of the anti-Washington rhetoric, Obama called out Sen. Jon Kyl. "Can I just say that, at this point, any time that a question is phrased as, 'Does Washington know better,' I think we're kind of tipping the scales a little bit there since we all know that everybody is angry at Washington right now."

12:30: The Election's Over, Sen. McCain Whether it was the message or the messenger that irked him, Obama saved his sharpest retort for his 2008 campaign rival, Sen. John McCain. "We're not campaigning anymore. The election's over," Obama interjected as McCain listed "special interest" deals in the Democratic bill. "I'm reminded of that every day," the Arizona Republican replied with a smile.

12:40: Enough With the Props Barely 10 minutes after taking on McCain, the president voiced his displeasure at the House GOP whip, Rep. Eric Cantor, for using the 2,000-plus-page health care bill as a decoration for his desk. "Let me just guess -- that that's the 2,400-page health care bill. Is that right?" Obama said, adopting the tone of a weary parent. A few minutes later, he challenged Cantor more directly, referring to his arrangement of the legislation printout as a "prop." "These are the kind of political things we do that prevent us from actually having a conversation," Obama said.

2:30: Speed It Up Obama seemed to return from the lunch break in a calmer mood. But as the meeting dragged on, he reminded both Democrats and Republicans to keep things moving. "Jay, let's wrap it up," he said to Sen. Jay Rockefeller.

3:30: Again With the Talking Points After House Minority Leader John Boehner used his time during the section on insurance market reform to repeat his longstanding criticism of the entire Democratic proposal, Obama responded with a verbal eye-roll -- in addition to a few head-shakes caught by the TV cameras. He suggested that other Republicans in the meeting have made substantive points, while Boehner simply went back to the "standard talking points that Republicans and Democrats have had for the past year."

4:10: You Too, Waxman Having already reprimanded Republicans for grandstanding, the president knocked down a fellow Democrat in a similar manner after Rep. Henry Waxman began to question whether Republicans were genuinely interested in health care reform. Obama tersely shut him up. "I'm going to be equal opportunity here," he told Waxman. "We're not making campaign speeches right now."

5:30: The Wrap-Up Obama's long soliloquy at the conclusion of the seven-hour summit signaled he was resigned to the fact that the partisan differences on health care were unlikely to be bridged. He urged Republicans to do some soul-searching, but his tone did not project confidence that a bipartisan solution was at hand. Still, outside Blair House it was as if the day full of frustration had never happened. The summit, he concluded, had been "a terrific conversation."