CHICAGO–President Obama, briefing major donors here offered candid comments on budget negotiations with Republicans–in remarks Obama thought were private but caught on an audio feed–by CBS News White House correspondent Mark Knoller in Washington.
From the report at CBS News (hat tip Mike Allen at Politico):
“In the candid remarks, Mr. Obama complains of Republican attempts to attach measures to the budget bill which would have effectively killed parts of his hard-won health care reform program.
“I said, ‘You want to repeal health care? Go at it. We’ll have that debate. You’re not going to be able to do that by nickel-and-diming me in the budget. You think we’re stupid?'” recalled the president of his closed-door negotiations on the bill to fund the federal government until September.
