President Obama's very big, incredibly important, game changing speech-to-end-all-speeches on health care cam across as panicky, too high pitched, and schoolyard bullyish. The president's theme was obvious early on: Nothing that was said against his plan in August had merit and certainly nothing that came up at the townhalls was legitimate.

"Misinformation," "bogus claims," "scare tactics," "such a charge would be laughable,' "it is a lie plain and simple" --welcome to the civil discourse of the hope and change era.

The speech really ought not to have gone on as long as it did. The short form:

There is nothing to worry about seniors.

The plan will not cost a dime in increased deficits.

No one will be inconvenienced much less deeply disappointed much less on the receiving end of a rationing scheme.

Tort reform? We've got demonstration projects.

The public option? Necessary because of the situation in Alabama.

A few details remain to be worked out --but pay no attention to the nervous laughter in the chambers.

We can do this because I say we must. It is in our character to vastly expand the size and cost of government.

The problem with the president's speech, and it is a very, very big problem, is that to be believed it would require a huge amount of trust in the president. The sort of trust that could only have been earned by a fair accounting of the critics' many and serious objections.

And that accounting was exactly what wasn't in the president's speech.

President Obama took a predictable whack at "death panels," but in so doing he dismissed every other objection raised by every other critic.

We know our own minds. We know why we are objecting to the plan. We know how the Post Office works, how Amtrack works, how reliable are pledges from Democrats about cost controls. Continued...