Combative Obama warns Supreme Court on health law
US: US President Barack Obama on Monday challenged the “unelected”
Supreme Court not to take the “extraordinary” and “unprecedented” step
of overturning his landmark health reform law.
Though Obama said he was confident the court would uphold the law,
the centerpiece of his political legacy, he appeared to be previewing
campaign trail arguments should the nine justices strike the legislation
down.
In a highly combative salvo, Obama also staunchly defended the anchor
of the law -- a requirement that all Americans buy health insurance --
as key to giving millions of people access to treatment for the first
time. “Ultimately, I am confident that the Supreme Court will not take
what would be an unprecedented, extraordinary step of overturning a law
that was passed by a strong majority of a democratically elected
Congress,” Obama said.
Pointed comments from Supreme Court justices last week during three
days of compelling hearings have convinced many commentators that the
court, expected to rule in June, will declare the law, dubbed ObamaCare,
unconstitutional.
Such a move would electrify the White House race, puncture Obama’s
claims to be a reformer in the grand political tradition, and throw the
US health care industry into chaos. AFP
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