Health reform gets conditional GOP support

With the Senate Finance Committee poised to vote on a broad healthcare reform bill, President Obama and his top aides have reached out to current and retired Republican leaders in the hopes of countering the charge that Democrats are using their congressional majorities to push through partisan legislation. In the past two days, former Senate Republican leader Bill Frist; George W. Bush health and human services secretary Tommy G. Thompson and Medicare chief Mark McClellan; and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger have all spoken favorably of overhauling the nation's healthcare system, although with plenty of caveats regarding the details.