Podesta: White House needs juice on health care

WASHINGTON -- John Podesta says it's time for the White House and its backers on health care to get as fired up as the opponents are.

"Supporters of health care … have to recalibrate the passion with which they want to get the job done," Podesta said. That's needed to combat attacks on proposed legislation now being waged by conservatives at raucous town hall meetings.

Podesta is a voice the Obama administration listens to: A former White House chief of staff for Bill Clinton, Podesta led President-elect Obama's transition team. He invited a half-dozen reporters to breakfast at the Center for American Progress, which he heads, to discuss where things stand on health care.

At Obama's town hall meetings in Montana today and Colorado tomorrow, "he has to punch through on what the end game is here, on what the goal is," Podesta said.

As soon as Congress returns to Washington after Labor Day, he said, the Senate Finance Committee needs to produce a bill — behind-the-scenes negotiations between Democrats and Republicans have stretched for months — or the administration should move on.

"My own advice would be: We've gone long enough to kind of have the Congress figure it out," he said. Obama needs to "put down a stronger marker" about the details of a bill he wants. "That's something members (of Congress) could rally to."

Opponents have Obama in their sights: "This is less about health care," he said. "It's really about tearing him down."