Obama pitches health care in talk show rounds

WASHINGTON -- President Obama, during an unprecedented presidential talk show blitz Sunday on topics ranging from Afghanistan to race relations, said requiring Americans to buy health insurance does not amount to a tax hike.

Over the course of five TV interviews, Obama expressed skepticism about the need for more troops in Afghanistan.

The nation's first African-American president also said attacks on him have more to do with the role of government than racism. "What's driving passions right now is that health care has become a proxy for a broader set of issues about how much government should be involved in our economy," Obama said on CBS' Face the Nation.

The president also appeared on ABC, NBC, CNN and Univision.

The White House scheduled the interviews, all taped Friday afternoon, as part of its effort to promote major health care legislation winding its way through Congress.

That legislation includes a requirement that all Americans buy heath insurance or face fines. On ABC's This Week With George Stephanopoulos, Obama disputed the contention that this amounts to tax increase, saying it will save money for taxpayers who are bearing the costs of medical care for uninsured patients. The president said most Americans are required to buy car insurance, and "nobody considers that a tax increase."

The talk shows also featured Republican critics of the president's health care plan who said he has a problem with policy, not communication.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said on NBC's Meet the Press that Obama has "been on everything but the Food Channel." Graham said too many Americans believe "if the government gets involved in private health care, that the health care they've got is going to be compromised."

Also on the program, Ohio Rep. John Boehner said Democrats want a bigger role for government in health care — "a giant takeover," he calls it — and he says that's just not needed.

Among the other topics discussed, Obama said he: