From the New York Times two days ago:

Obama Aides Aim to Simplify and Scale Back Health Bills

By ROBERT PEAR and JACKIE CALMES
Published: September 2, 2009

WASHINGTON -- President Obama plans to address a joint session of Congress next week in an effort to rally support for health care legislation as White House officials look for ways to simplify and scale back the major Democratic bills, lower the cost and drop contentious but nonessential elements.

From my post here five days ago:

Cleaning Up The Message

August 28, 2009, 2:23PM

1. A better name for the legislation:

"The Health Care Improvement and Insurance Choices Act of 2009"

Ditch Teddy's name because he wouldn't want his name to be used as another right-wing talking point against reform. He wasn't that vain and the name has to be short but descriptive.

2. Rename "the Public Option" to "the Congressional Plan."

3. Drop advance directives and end of life planning from the bill. Take it up later, separately.

4. Shave off whatever other non-essential points of contention exist in the legislation and deal with those goals separately, as well, so that the message is focused, streamlined and takes on as few problems at a time as possible.

5. Get a team of editors and legislative staff together to whittle the language of the bill down to as few pages as possible, in as much laymen-speak as possible. Set a goal of 300 pages and see if it can be done.

6. Turn Socialism on its head into Samaritanism, the Sermon on the Mount and the entire basis of Juedo-Christian social philosophy.

7. Control the message. Don't argue on their turf. Argue on ours.

If you're reading this, Mr. President, no need to thank me aloud, live, before a Joint Session of Congress. ... Well, thank you, sir. ... Aw, shucks. ... Nope, nope. No need to mention ol' Ripper by name in a televised address to the nation. Really.

Just pull on your earlobe like Carol Burnett used to do.

P.S.: Let me amend my list with this:

8. Promote the public option as the engine of cost control and choice. Really.