Roll Call reports that President Obama’s eight-day trip to Asia “will have little effect on Democrats’ ability to move health care legislation through the Senate, according to Senate and White House aides.” When news first broke that he would be gone for an extended amount of time, many Democrats met the news with “consternation,” but it now appears that Obama won’t be missing the “crunch time.” The Senate is still preparing to take up debate on the bill. “And he is unlikely to make any public pitches for health care while in Asia” (Koffler, 11/12).