Steve Benen lays out the wizardry of the president's televised healthcare summit idea:
In the larger context, it's a reminder that the summit invitation puts Republicans in an awkward spot. If they participate, they'll very likely lose the policy debate. If they reject the invitation, they'll look petty and small (even more so than usual), giving Dems ammunition to further characterize the GOP as knee-jerk partisans, unwilling to even have an open and bipartisan conversation.
I'd like to think all of this has something to do with David Plouffe returning to the fold. Would it be premature to say "check mate?"