Obama: Requiring Insurance Isn't Same As Tax Hike

WASHINGTON -- President Obama, during an unprecedented presidential talk show blitz Sunday on topics ranging from Afghanistan to race relations, said requiring Americans to buy health insurance does not amount to a tax hike.

Over the course of five TV interviews, Obama expressed skepticism about the need for more troops in Afghanistan.

The nation's first African-American president also said attacks on him have more to do with the role of government than racism. "What's driving passions right now is that health care has become a proxy for a broader set of issues about how much government should be involved in our economy," Obama said on CBS' Face the Nation.

The president also appeared on ABC, NBC, CNN and Univision.

The White House scheduled the interviews, all taped Friday afternoon, as part of its effort to promote major health care legislation winding its way through Congress.

That legislation includes a requirement that all Americans buy heath insurance or face fines. On ABC's This Week With George Stephanopoulos, Obama disputed the contention that this amounts to a tax increase, saying it will save money for taxpayers who are bearing the costs of medical care for uninsured patients. The president said most Americans are required to buy car insurance, and "nobody considers that a tax increase."

The talk shows also featured Republican critics of the president's health care plan who said he has a problem with policy, not communication.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said on NBC's Meet the Press that Obama has "been on everything but the Food Channel." Graham said too many Americans believe "if the government gets involved in private health care, that the health care they've got is going to be compromised."

Also on the program, Ohio Rep. John Boehner said Democrats want a bigger role for government in health care -- "a giant takeover," he calls it -- and he says that's just not needed.

Among the other topics discussed, Obama said he:

*Wants to review a long-term assessment of the Afghanistan war before deciding to commit more troops. He told This Week that military leaders must show "a skeptical audience, namely me," that more troops are necessary to defeat al-Qaeda terrorists.

*Disagreed with former president Jimmy Carter's assessment that racism is behind many recent verbal attacks. "Are there people out there who don't like me because of race? I'm sure there are," Obama said on CNN's State of the Union. "That's not the overriding issue here. I think there are people who are anti-government."

*Thinks the job picture could "get a little bit worse" this year, telling CNN's State of the Union that job creation may not catch up with population growth "until sometime next year."

*Remains committed to changing the immigration system, but legislation may have to wait for health care. "I am not backing off one minute from getting this done," he said on Univision's Al Punto. "But let's face it, I've had a few things to do."

One talk show did not feature Obama: Fox News Sunday. He has accused Fox News of conservative bias against his administration.

In discussing the flap on Fox News Sunday, host Chris Wallace repeated a previous comment that Obama's White House includes "the biggest bunch of crybabies I've ever dealt with in my 30 years in Washington."

White House spokesman Josh Earnest called Fox News "an ideological outlet where the president has been interviewed before and will likely be interviewed again -- not that the whining particularly strengthens their case for participation any time soon."