BULLETIN:  OBAMA TO DELAY INDONESIA TRIP, GIVES UP FREQUENT FLIER MILES FOR HEALTH CARE – AT 10:19 A.M. ET:  From The New York Times:

President Obama is delaying his trip to Indonesia, Guam and Australia next week, an administration official said Friday, so the White House can focus on passing health care legislation in the House.

Can you just imagine the chaos in Washington?

The president’s international trip had grown into a source of frustration among many House Democrats, who complained privately to the White House that they were being forced to take a quick vote on health care so Mr. Obama and his family could leave on the overseas trip next week.

Hey, what's important here?

In fact, the president is no longer taking First Lady Michelle Obama and their two daughters on the trip, an administration official said.

Yeah, there was some heat on that.  Looked like spring break.  In fact:

The trip had coincided with Malia and Sasha Obama’s spring break and was intended to be their first visit to Indonesia, where the president lived for several years as a child. But the White House, mindful of the criticism that the trip was as much a family vacation as an official trip, changed plans in the wake of the pressing health care debate.

COMMENT:  Will three days make a difference in health-care "reform"?  Who knows?  If the president had the votes, he wouldn't be delaying his trip.  So we know the measure is in trouble, from this and other indicators. 

Big political week ahead.  It's more than horses that will be traded.

March 12, 2010