Republicans Question Dems Privately Crafting Compromise Health Care Bill in Closed Doors; Reform Behind Closed Doors?
CHETRY: Good morning, Washington. Thirteen minutes past the hour right now. It's clear and 40 degrees in our nation's capital. A little bit later, it's going to be sunny, going up to a high of 59. Welcome back to the "Most News in the Morning." This could be a critical week for health care reform. A compromise bill being crafted by a handful of Democratic senators could be completed in the next few days. Now the big question, will it contain a public insurance option? As we know, Republicans are against it, but they don't have a say in it right now. Jim Acosta's live in Washington. So forget bipartisanship, right? If this happens, it's going to happen with the Democrats, and the big debate is, is there going to be a public option in whatever bill they finally decide on?</s>JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That is the big question right now, Kiran. Forget bipartisanship and forget doing it out in the open right now. Later today, Senate Democratic leaders and White House officials are expected to be back behind closed doors, putting together that compromised bill on health care reform. That process has raised a key question -- why is the debate over the public option not open to the public?</s>BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Thank you so much.</s>ACOSTA (voice-over): It was an Obama campaign promise, the crafting of health care reform would be out in the open.</s>OBAMA: This whole thing is going to be televised on C-SPAN. Everybody is going to be watching.</s>ACOSTA: But now that the major reform bills have cleared committees, they're being merged in private by congressional leaders and White House advisers. Republicans ask, where's C-SPAN?</s>SEN. JON KYL (R), ARIZONA: The bill that's being written right now is being written in Harry Reid's office, behind closed doors with Chris and Max Baucus and the leader and others. No Republicans need apply to come into that room.</s>RAHM EMANUEL, WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: The entire health care process has been fully public and...</s>JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is the most important part.</s>EMANUEL: Yes. And everybody is going to continue to be involved.</s>ACOSTA: The process also worries Democrats who fear the White House will cave on a government insurance public option before any votes are cast. Some in the party vow they won't back down.</s>SEN. ARLEN SPECTER (D), PENNSYLVANIA: I'm not prepared to recede at all. I think the public option is gaining momentum.</s>ACOSTA: Administration officials say the president is open to compromise on the public option.</s>VALERIE JARRETT, SENIOR WHITE HOUSE ADVISER: Push for it, certainly, but he's also realistic to say we've got to look at all options. He has said very clearly he thinks it's the best option, and we'll see what happens.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, he's not demanding that it's in there?</s>JARRETT: He's not demanding that it's in there. He thinks it's the best possible choice.</s>ACOSTA: But that willingness to cut a deal has irked some Liberals who want the president to get tough. It's an undercurrent picked up by Presidential Historian Douglas Brinkley, who told "National Journal Magazine" "Mr. Obama has created an atmosphere of no fear. Nobody is really worried about the revenge of Barack Obama because he is not a vengeful man."</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We make him angry, he turns - he turns into "The Rock Obama!"</s>ACOSTA: Even "Saturday Night Live" joked about whether the president can get tough with Congress.</s>DAVID AXELROD, WHITE HOUSE SENIOR POLITICAL ADVISER: I think people want toughness, but they also want to have thoughtful leadership, and that - and that requires reviewing these issues, thinking them through clearly and bringing people along, and that's what he's doing.</s>ACOSTA (on camera): Now, the sign the GOP has latched onto this issue, Sarah Palin is using her Facebook page to call out the president for not putting the current health care talks on C-SPAN. Kiran, she can see a new issue from her house this morning.</s>CHETRY: There you go. All right, Jim Acosta for us this morning. Thanks.</s>ROBERTS: All right. Well, we have yet another apology this morning. The artist who made the famous Barack Obama "Hope" Poster now admits he lied about the photo that he used to design it. The "Associated Press" had sued street artist Shepard Fairey for using one of its photos for the famous artwork. It claims that he had no right to it, that he didn't alter it enough to be covered under "fair use laws." Fairey sued them back, insisting he used a different AP photo of Obama, one that originally had actor George Clooney in it, that was significantly altered for the poster, but now he admits he lied about which photo he used and has apologized. There - there is a veritable epidemic of prevarication going on in this country these days! I can't (ph) believe the sheriff out there in Larimer county and they'll - who's not lying these days?</s>CHETRY: Yes. That's pretty shocking.</s>ROBERTS: You're not lying (ph). You never lie.</s>CHETRY: Well, I try not to. Little white ones like, "Oh, it's so nice to see you!" you know? Well, not you. I'm just saying, "you"...</s>ROBERTS: Yes. Not me. No...</s>CHETRY: "You" in general. Anyway, so, you know, Christmas season's coming around.</s>ROBERTS: Oh, change the subject!</s>CHETRY: And people are worried about, you know, getting out there and getting discounts on some toys. Well, now there are allegations of price-fixing at Toys 'R' Us. Maybe they're going to apologize, too. You never know. We'll find out. We got the details right after the break