Live from Washington: Obama ' s health care summit
President Barack Obama and his Democratic allies are pleading their case for health care overhaul in an extraordinary summit with Republicans  broadcast live to a divided public on daytime TV.
 But the public is split over the Democrats' sweeping legislation  with its $1 trillion  10-year price tag and many complex provisions  including some that wouldn't take effect for another eight years -- after Obama has packed up and left the White House.
 For Obama  the summit is his chance to make a compelling closing argument to the American people. If he succeeds  Democrats will push ahead to pass the legislation with a package of revisions he's proposed. If Obama falters  another Democratic president will have been humbled by health care. He will have to appeal to both sides to at least give him a modest bill smoothing some of the rough edges from the current system.
 Obama's chief spokesman  Robert Gibbs  said hours in advance of the session that he thinks the talks can be productive if participants "put aside this notion of kabuki theater  put aside this notion of six-hour photo ops."
[TGT] are pleading [TGT] case for health care overhaul in an extraordinary summit with Republicans  broadcast live to a divided public on daytime TV.
 But the public is split over the Democrats' sweeping legislation  with its $1 trillion  10-year price tag and many complex provisions  including some that wouldn't take effect for another eight years -- after [TGT] has packed up and left the White House.
 For [TGT]the summit is [TGT] chance to make a compelling closing argument to the American people. If [TGT] succeeds  Democrats will push ahead to pass the legislation with a package of revisions [TGT]'s proposed. If [TGT] falters  another Democratic president will have been humbled by health care. He will have to appeal to both sides to at least give him a modest bill smoothing some of the rough edges from the current system.
 [TGT]'s chief spokesman  Robert Gibbs  said hours in advance of the session that he thinks the talks can be productive if participants "put aside this notion of kabuki theater  put aside this notion of six-hour photo ops."