A floundering campaign on healthcare

Some of President Obama's strongest supporters are suggesting that his discipline has slipped as prospects for the passage of healthcare reform becomes murkier. In recent weeks, Obama has delivered mixed messages that have bogged down the debate and sapped momentum from his top domestic priority. Republicans, meanwhile, have stepped into the void of the August congressional recess and, in a page taken directly from Obama's 2008 playbook, are using a combination of online organization and message-of-the-day discipline to frame the legislation as a government takeover.