IS THAT A DOOR SLAMMING IN YOUR FACE? Yes, I'm afraid so.

Why are the Congressional health care reform negotiations being held in secret?

Why is it, as Press Secretary Gibbs recently told CBS News, that "the president wants to get a bill to his desk as quickly as possible"? If this legislation is so important, shouldn't the President's goal be to put together a bill that addresses the basic health care needs of those Americans who do not have access to good, solid general health services, as so often stated? Instead, the goal is just to get SOMETHING done as quickly as possible so they can say they passed a health care reform bill. I'm not making this up. They're actually SAYING this now. The President cares so much about the future of our health care that the bill is being written in secret, in a rush, without his input, and without review from members of the other party or the meddling opinions of the pesky American public. He wants a bill! Any bill! And he wants it yesterday!

Wonderful.

Below are eight (8) Obama quotes from nationally televised broadcasts and webcasts. This is not something he discussed once, but repeatedly. And the truth is; neither he nor our agenda-laden Congress wants any input from you or from anyone who has different ideas.

November 27, 2007 (Keene Sentinel Press Conference)

“…drug companies will have a seat at the table, they just won’t be able to buy every single chair. And we will have a public process. It will be televised on C-SPAN…It will be transparent and accountable to the American people….One of my jobs as President will be to guide this process so it’s an honest process…”

January 2008 (CNN Debate)

“…not negotiating behind closed doors but bringing all parties together and broadcasting those negotiations on C-SPAN so the American people can see what the choices are ‘cause part of what we have to do is enlist the American people in this process.”

January 20, 2008 (San Francisco Chronicle Interview)

“I would put my plan forward and I would welcome input and say; ‘here are my goals – reduced cost, increased quality, coverage for everybody. If you have better ideas, please present them. But these negotiations will be on C-SPAN so the public will be part of the conversation and will see the choices that are being made.”

March 1, 2008 (Ohio Town Hall)

“…and here’s the thing: we’re going to do all these negotiations on C-SPAN so the American people will be able to watch these negotiations.”

April 25, 2008 (Indiana Town Hall)

“…I’ll put forward my plan but what I’ll say is look, if you’ve got better ideas, I’m happy to listen to them but all this will be done on C-SPAN, in front of the public.”

August 21, 2008 (Chester, VA Town Hall)

“…We will have the negotiations televised on C-Span so people can see who is making arguments on behalf of their constituents or who is making arguments on behalf of the drug companies or the insurance companies…”

November 14, 2008 Google (Q & A)

“…yeah I respect what the Clintons tried to do in 1993 in moving health reform forward. But they made one really big mistake…and that is; they took all their people and all their experts into a room and then they closed the door…”

“We will work on this process publicly. It will be on C-SPAN. It will be streaming over the net.”

November 2008 (St. Petersburg Times Interview)

“…I want the negotiations to be taking place on C-SPAN…”

Whew...

Something must have gone wrong because, not only were none of the negotiations on the health care legislation televised, but top Democrats (not all Democrats) have gone to great lengths to hide themselves away while finalizing this master work. What happened to the transparency and bipartisanship? Wait, you didn't actually believe that crap, did you?

C-SPAN CEO Brian Lamb wrote to leaders in the House and Senate Dec. 30 urging them to open "all important negotiations, including any conference committee meetings," to televised coverage on his network. As top Democrats carefully put the finishing touches on the collosal, disasterous health care legislation, Lamb has repeatedly requested that they open up at least the final segment of health care reform negotiations to the public.

Lamb continued in his letter; "The C-SPAN networks will commit the necessary resources to covering all of the sessions LIVE and in their entirety."

In a Tuesday afternoon press conference on health legislation negotiations, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi objected to the premise behind Lamb's request. According to her; "There has never been a more open process for any legislation in anyone who’s served here’s experience."

Right, and you're telling me, if the tables were turned, college campuses across the country wouldn't be ablaze with students calling for someone's impeachment? The only thing transparent about this Administration is their consistent and thinly veiled attempts to give us constant lip service and non-substantative affirmations while shattering the all-time record for broken campaign promises in a single year.

How is this whole thing working exactly? And if the health care debate is such an "open process" why not just let the cameras in. Why not hold the discussion on the floor of the House rather than a closed room full of senior ranking Democrats who have already agreed to most of the major terms - the terms that the majority of Americans do not want in the legislation?

C-SPAN's Brian Lamb was also interviewed on the Bill Press show. Bill Press, in case you were concerened, is a liberal Democrat. Again, forget the politics here.

Lamb explained; “We obviously would cover these negotiations. The only time we’ve been able to cover the White House part of it was one hour inside the East Room which was kind of a show horse type of thing.”

Lamb acknowledges that this “discussion” was staged for the cameras.

He later says, “The American people pay for all that goes on in this town (Washington D.C.). If we pay for something and it’s the public’s business, then we ought to be able to see how it’s done.”

No reasonable person can argue with that point. If it’s a matter of national security, fine, tuck it away. But I’m not going to sit here and have people tell me it’s OK for Congress to decide the future of America’s health care system, not to mention how we are to be taxed for the rest of our lives, in virtual secrecy while those same people want to open the books on the CIA and see how our country goes about catching terrorists so all of our national security secrets get leaked. Hysterically hypocritical. If you do not recognize the irony with this, please stop reading now.

These deliberations are being held in secret for one and only one reason: because Pelosi, Reid and Obama don't want us to know what's going on. It is that simple. You don't send people out of the room when you want their opinion.

The health care bill includes plenty of kickbacks and shady special-interest provisions as well as pathways to vast tax increases. The authors and supporters don't want this known or understood. The message is: "This is what's best for America, but don't worry, we'll handle it. You just sit there and watch reality TV."

Liberals, Conservatives. It doesn't matter. We're no longer part of the process; the process our President swore to uphold and honor and protect. Where are the Hollywood elites and the quasi-intellectuals who were so vocal about the Bush Administration? Where are the student groups and activists who went down to Texas to chastise W. for his decisions?

They are speechless because they are not interested in what's good or just. They are interested in politics and being on the side that's winning. The self-righteous, self congratulating and self-aggrandizing are silent.

Obama & Co. has slammed the door in the faces of the American public. We can only hope that this obnoxious piece of legislation does not pass the Senate. If it does, we are in for one hell of an ugly ride.

In the immortal words of the Beastie Boys: "Get ready 'cause this ain't funny..."