Of course the Republicans have long wanted to privatize Social Security and destroy it. But Social Security has been the most important and valuable social program in the history of the United States.

The Democrats co-opted the credit for the Civil Rights Act of 1964. But if you go back and look at the history a larger percentage of Republicans voted for that than did Democrats. But a Democrat president signed it so they co-opted credit for having passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

There is nothing new about these Republican attacks on our family planning decisions. In fact from the moment they came into power Republicans in the House of Representatives have been waging a war on women's health.

Seven presidents before him - Democrats and Republicans - tried to expand health care to all Americans. President Obama got it done.

It is important for women to have a choice to have an opportunity to plan their families because if they don't the Republicans have said this is an ownership society. You are on your own and they're going to begrudge that child everything from WIC to a Pell Grant to health insurance.

The reason Gov. Romney passed Romneycare as governor of Massachusetts in 2006 was because many Republicans viewed health care reform mandates and all as a way to inoculate against Democratic charges that Republicans didn't care about people who lacked health insurance.

President Obama stands ready to work with everyone because that's what the American people expect and deserve - not for the short term political advantages but the long term health of our country. We don't spend time trying to figure out what's in the minds of Republicans we try to keep our focus on the American people.

It is hard to miss the irony in the fact that the very same week that Republicans were publicly heralding Congressman Paul Ryan's plan to inject market forces into the American health care system they were crafting a budget deal to strip them from the health reform law.

Mr. Obama still has time to reverse course. A great deal depends on it. To fail on health care yet again might well be the 'Waterloo' Republicans dream of.

Republicans would have preferred the court overturn the health care bill an act that would have underscored Obama's biggest liability - the perception among voters including those who like and trust him that he has been ineffective.