Obama's hands-off approach seen working

WASHINGTON, Nov. 2 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama's strategy of keeping his distance as Congress hashes out contentious healthcare reforms is paying off, White House officials say.

As the House of Representatives prepares to begin debate on a bill this week, and the Senate readies to roll out its own version for discussion, administration insiders are saying Obama's decision to leave the details up to lawmakers has paid dividends, The New York Times reported Monday.

The president's hands-off approach to crafting the measures has meant healthcare reform efforts have moved slowly, but they also have progressed further than many members of Congress thought possible, the newspaper said.

Even so, "You don't see any shimmying in the end zone," White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel told the Times. "No spiking the ball on the 20-yard line here."

Difficult challenges, such as keeping disappointed liberal Democrats on board, lie ahead for the White House, analysts warned.

"(Obama) is making the case to (progressive lawmakers) that this isn't the exact bill you'd write, however, let's take a step back and look at what we're about to do here, and what a historic moment this will be," an senior administration official told the newspaper.