By DAVID ESPO
AP Special Correspondent
WASHINGTON – One by one, House Democratic fence-sitters began choosing sides Friday, and the long, turbulent struggle over landmark health care legislation tilted unmistakably in President Barack Obama’s direction.
In full campaign mode, his voice rising, the president all but claimed victory, declaring to a cheering audience in Virginia, “We are going to fix health care in America.”
With the showdown vote set for Sunday in the House, Obama decided to make one final, personal appeal to rank-and-file Democrats, arranging a Saturday visit to the Capitol. Republicans, unanimous in opposition to the bill, complained anew about its cost and reach.