White House Quip: Obama would go to moon in pursuit of deal to overhaul health care system now

White House: Obama would go to moon for his goal

WASHINGTON — How far is President Barack Obama willing to go for a deal on overhauling the health care system?

Try all the way to the moon.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs joked Wednesday that Obama would orbit the moon if he thought it would help get a deal on a bill Congress can vote on after it returns from summer break.

Three House committees and one Senate committee have voted out health care overhaul bills. A group of lawmakers on a fifth panel, the Senate Finance Committee, continue to negotiate on its version of the legislation. And arguments are everywhere.