White House's Gibbs slams Sen. Enzi

Not too many weeks ago, you could Google "Sen. Mike Enzi" and come up with a handful of hits. But holy moly, you Google the good senator from Wyoming now, and you walk right into an avalanche. And we all know why.

I just found this one (via AP):

The White House went after Wyoming GOP Sen. Mike Enzi for his comments in the GOP’s weekly radio address in which he criticized the Democrats’ health care plans, saying they would increase the deficit, “raid” Medicare, and limit or deny care to people based on age or disabilities, among other charges.

“Certainly, I think the radio address over the weekend by Sen. Enzi, repeating many of the generic Republican talking points that Republicans are using that have bragged about being opposed to health care, are tremendously unfortunate, but in some ways illuminating,” White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters this afternoon. “It appears that, at least in Sen. Enzi’s case, he doesn’t believe there’s a pathway to get bipartisan support.”

Gibbs added: “Sen. Enzi’s clearly turned over his cards on bipartisanship and decided that it’s time to walk away from the table.”

As one of the “Gang of Six,” Enzi has been part of a small group of Senate negotiators on a health care overhaul—a role that President Barack Obama had praised him for in the past.

The normally low-key and noncontroversial Enzi, the top Republican on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, stepped into the national spotlight last week when he commented on health care legislation at a town hall meeting.

“It’s not where I get them to compromise, it’s what I get them to leave out,” Enzi said. In a heated exchange with a constituent who called on the senator to walk away from the negotiating table, Enzi responded: “If I hadn’t been involved in this process as long as I have and to the depth as I have, you would already have national health care.”