“The White House is providing zero leadership. Zero. If anything, they’re making things more difficult and that’s not going to change,” said former Rep. Jim Walsh (R-N.Y.), a longtime member of the powerful Appropriations Committee…

“When the president was engaged the week before, we got the motion to proceed,” said the strategist, referring to the successful vote Tuesday to begin debate on the healthcare bill…

“If there’s open warfare between senior advisors that hurts the ability to motivate people,” said the strategist. “It’s simply impossible for a majority party in Congress to function and deliver effectively without a strong leader at the top.”