DON'T HOLD THE MAYO - AT 5:53 P.M. ET:  More rain on the president's health plan, this time from a major authority:

A world-renowned clinic that President Obama held up as an example of good medicine said Monday that the American people would be "losers" under the House's health care proposal, joining the growing chorus of critics the Obama administration is trying to fend off as the debate intensifies from Capitol Hill to Main Street.

Minnesota's not-for-profit Mayo Clinic, which Mr. Obama has repeatedly hailed as offering top quality care at affordable costs, blasted the House Democrats' version of the health care plan as lawmakers continue to grapple with several bills from each chamber and multiple committees.

The Mayo Clinic said there are some positive elements of the bill, but overall "the proposed legislation misses the opportunity to help create higher quality, more affordable health care for patients."

"In fact, it will do the opposite," clinic officials said, because the proposals aren't [R]patient-focused or results-oriented. "The real losers will be the citizens of the United States."

COMMENT:  Well, when the White House loses the Mayo Clinic, maybe it's time to go back to the planning stage.  Problem is, there apparently wasn't any planning stage.  The president himself admitted, in a stunning moment, that he didn't actually know a major provision of the bill before the House. 

This administration has to graduate from its student government phase.

July 21, 2009