White House spokesman Robert Gibbs briefed House Democratic press secretaries behind closed doors this afternoon, giving a preview of tonight’s presidential speech on health care and the economy.
Gibbs told the aides that the president broke bread with major news anchors this afternoon, depicting himself as “Dr. Obama” (as Katie Couric put it) and the nation as a patient in need of a positive diagnosis.
So it’s safe to say that tonight’s speech will be optimistic — but will it break news? What’s gone under-reported in the anticipation of Thursday’s White House budget release is the fact that the plan will be a broad outline. The full Obama budget isn’t expected until April, as this Politico story notes near the bottom.