it incorporates the best ideasx from democrats and republicans, including some of the ideas that republicans offered during the health care summit like funding state grants on medical malpractice reform and curbing waste and fraud and abuse in the health care system. my proposal also gets rid of many of the provisions that have no place in health care reform, provisions that were more about winning individual votes in congress than improving health care for all americans. now, despite all that we agree on and all the republican ideas we've incorporated, many, probably most republicans in congress, just have a fundamental disagreement over whether we should have more or less oversight of insurance companies. and if they truly believe less regulation would lead to higher quality, more affordable health insurance, then they should vote against the proposal i put forward. and some also believe we should instead of doing what i'm proposing pursue a piecemeal approach to help health care reform where we tinker around the edges of the challenge for the next few years. even those who acknowledge the problems of the uninsured say we can't afford to help them now, which is why the republican proposal only covers 3 million uncovered while we cover 31 million. the problem with that approach, unless everyone has access to affordable coverage, you can't prevent insurance companies from denying coverage based on pre-existing conditions. you can't limit the amount of families forced to pay out of their own pockets. the insurance reforms rest on everybody having access to coverage. and you also don't do anything about the fact that taxpayers currently end up subsidizing the uninsured when they are forced to go to the emergency room for care to the tune of about $1,000 per family. you can't those savings if those people are still going to the emergency room. so the fact is health reform only works if you take care of all of these problems at once. now, both during and after last week's summit, republicans in congress insisted the only acceptable course on health care reform is to start over. but given these honest and substantial differences between the parties about the need to regulate the insurance industry and the need to help millions of middle class families get insurance, i don't see how another year of negotiations would help. moreover, the insurance companies aren't starting over. they are continuing to raise premiums and deny coverage as we speak. for us to start over now could simply lead to delay that could last for another decade or even more. the american people and the u.s. economy just can't wait that long. so no matter which approach you favor, i believe the united states congress owes the american people a final vote on health care reform. [ applause ] we have debated this issue thoroughly, not just for the past year but for decades. reform has already passed the house with a majority. it has already passed the senate with a supermajority of 60 votes. and now it deserves the same kind of up or down vote that was cast on welfare reform, that was cast on the children's health insurance program, that was used for cobra, health coverage for the unemployed, and, by the way, for both bush tack cuts, all of which had to pass congress with nothing more than a simple majority. i therefore ask leaders in both houses of congress to finish their work and schedule a vote in the next few weeks. from now until then, i will do everything in my power to make the case for reform. and i -- i urge every american who wants this reform to make their voices heard as well. every family, every business, every patient, every doctor, every nurse, every physicians assistant, make your voice heard. this has been a long and wrenching debate. it has stoked great passions among the american people and their representatives, and that's because health care is a difficult issue. it is a complicated issue. if it was easy, it would have been solved long ago. as all of you know from experience, health care can literally be an issue of life or death. as a result, it easily lends itself to demagoguery, political gainsmanship, misrepresentation and misunderstanding. but that's not an excuse for those of us who were sent here to lead. that's not an excuse for us to walk away. we can't just give up because the politics are hard. i know there's been a fascination, bordering on obsession, in this media town about what passing health insurance would mean for the next election and the one after that. how will this play. what will happen with the polls. i will leave it to others to sift through the politics, because that's not what this is about. that's not why we're here. this is about what reform would mean for the mother with breast cancer whose insurance company will finally have to pay for her chemotherapy. this is what reform would mean for the small business owner who will no longer have to choose between hiring more workers or offering coverage to the employee she has. this is about what reform would mean to middle class families health insurance for the very first time in their lives and get a regular checkup once in a while and have some security about their children if they get sick. this is about what reform would mean for all those men and women i've met over the last few years who have been brave enough to share their stories. when we started our push for reform last year, i talked to a young mother in wisconsin named laura. she has two young children. she thought she had beaten her breast cancer but later discovered it had spread to her bones. she and her husband were working and had insurance but their medical bills still lands them in debt. now she spends time worrying about that debt, when all she wants to do is spend time with her children and focus on getting well. this should not happen in the united states of america, and it doesn't have to. [ applause ] in the end that's what this debate is about. it's about what kind of country we want to be. it's about the millions of lives that would be touched, and in some cases saved, by making private health insurance more secure and more affordable. at stake right now is not our ability to solve this problem but our ability to solve any problem. the american people want to know if it's still possible for washington to look out for their interest and their future. they are waiting for us to act. they are waiting for us to leave. as long as i hold this office, i intend to provide that leadership. i do not know how this plays politically, but i know it's right. so i ask congress to finish its work and i look forward to signing this reform into law. thank you very much, everybody. let's get it done. [ applause ] >> what's been called a final push for health care reform from president obama, he started off his remarks saying it's time to bring this journey to a close. let's talk about what we just heard from the president. democratic strategist chris cofinas. the president said he's included the best ideas from democrats and republicans, it's time for an up or down vote. the american public is owed this from our lawmakers. what do you think? >> the president, i think, came out very strong. clearly has thrown down the gauntlet. if you notice, i think the language he used there in the end there in terms of painting anyone who is concerned about politics as missing the point here. the point here is how do we help tens of millions without health care as well as hundreds of millions of americans that have to struggle within the current health care system. it is clear, i think, we're coming to an end. the reality, though, is, the political battle is still going to continue. you still have republicans, i can't imagine we're going to win one of these votes from republicans in the house or the senate, so the political fight will continue. we're definitely, i think, coming close to getting this done. the president is clearly -- i think that message really was to democrats more so than republicans. it really was a message, now is our moment, let's finish this. >> david, let me bring you in. senate republican leader mitch mcconnell saying there will be public outrage by the way that the democrats want to push this through the finish line will the president said in his remarks this deserves the same kind of up or down vote that we cast on welfare reform, the children's health insurance program. he also mentions both bush tax cuts. how do republicans argue with that point? >> first off, there are a couple of things. i have to say i fundamentally disagree with the way our stand on health care, trillions in new taxes, cuts medicare by half a trillion. maybe i should start with that. i'm upset with the way he portrayed that. i think that was a willful political point. the nuclear option. there are certain elements and they are very confined in terms of what can be used in terms of 51 votes. the originator of this, senator byrd of west virginia said this is not the way to do it. bit way, i worked with bill fritz when he was majority leader and he had the same decision in terms of trying to get 51 judges to get judges through, which democrats ultimately opposed. ultimately bill thought for the nature of the senate, what the senate was, he was going to stick with 60 judges. he got five out of the seven judges through. ultimately he follows the rules. this is a pure political move because this president is panicked that his one initiative isn't going to go through and he needs to take a step back and breathe and go through this. >> he points out it's passed the senate with a supermajority of 60 votes. >> what are you going to do with issues like abortion, some of the regulation with insurance companies? that doesn't necessarily deal with the germane nature of what reconciliation is about. the problem is -- by the way, he said this before. you cannot govern -- if you go back, a bunch of videos on the internet, the president saying you can't govern with 50 plus one, you need 60 in the senate to govern. what he's admitting is he can't govern. >> chris, i'll let you respond to that. >> the republicans, i'm constantly amazed how they are able to talk out of both sides of their mouth and rewrite their own history. they have used reconciliation in the past. we can debate about what the political implications of that are. but the notion somehow this is going to be so terrible for the democratic party -- if it's going to be so terrible for the democratic party, i would think republicans would want the reconciliation vote. the reality of the situation here is this. if we past health care reform and it accomplishes what we believe it will do, which is expand coverage, better options, better care, help bring down the deficit, the republicans don'te have a counter argument. >> you're saying the ends justify the means. if i may -- >> i want to bring this -- >> if i may. senator byrd, the person who developed this reconciliation concept, a democrat, says this is an inappropriate way to use it. don't argue with me, argue with your own senator. >> gentlemen, hang on for a second. wasn't to fast forward this conversation with the time we have. chris, it is now down to the democrats. it is now about the democrats trusting -- those in the house trusting those in the senate. it's clear from what david is saying, other republicans are saying they are out. now this is about the democrats. can they do it? >> i think they can do it. to be even more brutal about it, they have to. at the end of the day, this is no longer about gathering republican votes, this is simply about getting democrats who may be on the fence to support it. i think clearly what happened with the president's speech, he's making very clear to democrats we're in all this together. it is better we pass good health care reform and make the argument in november than not pass it at all. >> as ken strickland just put out a note. a couple of steps. house must pass senate version, reconciliation that fixes other issues and senate must pass that same reconciliation. the problem, two critical things, the democratic ranks must have votes and trust. it boils down to them now. thank you both, gentlemen, i greatly appreciate your time. while president obama was speaking on health care, charles rangel was also on capitol hill responding to the intense pressure coming in from an ethics probe and announcement he requested a leave of absence as chairman of the house ways and means committee. this is what he said while the president was speaking about health care. here it is. >> and that is that i had told the speaker, actually many months ago, if my issues were going to impede the elections of a democratic party, then i would be glad for and entertain a leave of absence. so i love my country, i love congress and i love the democrats more. so any member that thought my chairmanship would impede their election, then i think if the speaker accepts my request to take a leave of absence, politically, i think that should take care of the political problem. >> here is my technical question. >> just ask the question. >> according to the house parliamentarian and folks who know this, they interpret your letter, which says a temporary leave of absence, as final. the chairs use the term resignation. according to them, there is no shading of this. they interpret all these things as final. for you to be reinstalled as chairman of the ways and means committee, they would have to do that. is there any question in your mind this is temporary or final? >> let me make it clear, i wrote the letter and i wrote what i meant and i said what i meant. if it's anyone that needs clarification, it's the speaker. not you. i think that takes care of us. thank you very much. the press has been very understanding of the need for me not to answer questions, because the whole situation, some of the questions you raise even more questions. having said that, this country and this congress has been very good to me. it just seems to me that i should not do anything that would impede the success of other democrats. they should be so lucky as i am. >> haven't had a bad day yet? >> haven't had a bad day yet but it's been close. have a great afternoon. >> ending his hours, remarks of humor. let's bring in kelly o'donnell. kelly, from those remarks as well as the comments we heard earlier from mr. rangel, it seems he was speaking to his party. he was worried or pressure was coming in from democrats that he could be a burden to them. >> well, it was no secret to charlie rangel he was feeling that pressure because every member of the house is up for re-election in november. he's got a very secure seat but many others do not. people point to the fact that speaker pelosi when she came into the position pledged to have the most ethical and open congress. and people have tried to hold her to that using the rangel situation. he was admonished to accept caribbean trips to attend kmpbs paid for by corporations. there's some other outstanding issues that deal with fund-raising and tacks not resolved by the house ethics committee yet. once that admonishment came back, how could she square her pledge and that finding. it really put the speaker in a difficult position, put other democrats in that spot as well, so rang ellis willing to do that. as you can tell, he's got one of those personalities people like on the hill. but there's a real question from the critics whether or not his move is a permanent one or temporary. there's a lot of doubt about that at the moment. >> kelly o'donnell live for us, reacting to the news of charles rangel speaking out. the military is set to hold a hearing on repealing the don't ask don't tell policy. we're going to talk with an iraq war veteran facing difficult charge after publicly announcing he's gay. a member of the mcstay family says he fears for the lives of those missing. we're going to talk to friends of the family. to get the latest on the investigation and learn more about this family who has disappeared without a trace. [ female announcer ] the latest athletic fabrics that keep you cool and dry have now inspired stayfree® to create a whole new level of comfort when it comes to your period. only stayfree® ultra thins have thermocontrol™. designed with the comfort of athletic fabrics in mind, stayfree® with thermocontrol™ quickly wicks moisture away for exceptional dryness. so you stay incredibly comfortable no matter where your day takes you. stay dry. stay cool. with thermocontrol™ only from stayfree®. welcome back. the hearing on the repeal of the controversial don't ask, don't tell policy that bans gays from serving openly. this comes one day after defense secretary robert gates set the pentagon review about how the ban will go about the troops and their families. the policy is hurting military recruiting efforts. >> there are estimates that 4,000 of our troops per year leave service voluntarily because of their apprehension or opposition to the don't ask, don't tell policy. of course, we can only guess how many people didn't enlist, haven't enlisted in the military because of don't ask, don't tell. >> we should point out senator is introducing legislation for don't ask, don't tell. an iraq war veteran facing discharge after announcing on rachel maddow show only to be asked to return. >> hi, tamron, glad to be with you. >> is there real progress? we're hearing about reviews, studies, conversations? are you impressed at all with what you're hearing right now? >> it's very disappointing, tamron, every since studying arabic at west point i've heard this proverb. even in iraq i heard this in arabic. patience is the virtue that can wear down the mountains. so some people would tell us, we should just wait and stand by and have patience while people are getting fired for telling the truth. i think this is intolerable. this is absolutely devastating for what we stand for. we're kicking out people for thog more than telling the truth. when people talk about a study. there have been study if we stacked up the papers, they would be taller than me and you right now. we don't need to study more. we don't need an entire year for that. i can give you cliff's notes look at britain and canada, australia, our nato allies. they have no problems with that, with the truth. it's seen through all the studies, recruiting and retention gets better when people can tell the truth. that's the bottom line. >> what do you think about those who are out there saying, despite general powell saying the time is coming and others, because we are in two wars, it's not the right time. >> it's ridiculous. we're in two wars right now. is this the time to be kicking out people proficient in arabic, farsi, kicking out infantrymen? we should have everybody able bodied and willing to go. i'm willing to go. i went back to my unit last month. guess what happened? i know there's a lot of people who think devastation occurred and chaos and maybe thunderstorms and tsunamis because gay people are allowed to serve openly. tamron, i want to tell you a secret, if you just can keep it between you and me. >> okay. >> gay people are serving openly right now. i'm evidence of that. and our troops are not disintegrating. >> well, you know - >> just between you and me, don't tell anybody. >> that might be one of the worst kept secrets. in the memo from secretary gates, given the political dimensions, it is equally critical in carrying out this review, every effort be made to shield our men and women in uniform and their families from the aspects of this debate. >> tamron, i take huge issue with that. when you're talking about polling or getting the opinions of soldiers or their families, i wonder, are you going to poll and get the opinions of the family members, the loved ones, the lovers, the partners, of those gay soldiers. are yo