Jonathan Chait at the New Republic has an interesting post up Concerning Obama’s political style. Rather than capitulate to Republican demands as his critics on the left suggest he is doing, he’s using the rhetoric of bipartisanship to draw out the Republicans.

One way to deal with that kind of bad-faith opposition is to draw the person in, treat them as if they were operating in good faith, and draw them into a conversation about how they actually would solve the problem. If they have nothing, it shows. And that’s not a tactic of bipartisan Washington idealists — it’s a hard-nosed tactic of community organizers, who are acutely aware of power and conflict. It’s how you deal with people with intractable demands — put ‘em on a committee.

Since I’m a soccer fan, the Republicans remind me a whole lot of a team playing 10 men (or women) “behind the ball” in the hopes of preventing the other team from scoring. It’s kinda like a prevent defense in American football for those misguided souls who think soccer is boring. How do you break a “bunker” defense in soccer? You’re patient. You pass the ball around in the hopes of “drawing out” the other team from their goal area. You try to force them to make a mistake that frees you up for a shot on goal. It doesn’t always work but it’s the only chance you have. This health care summit is Obama’s version of trying to force the Republicans into a mistake. Let’s see what happens.