EYE OF THE STORM

Obama to Speak at Town Halls

Will jump into setting of contentious debate.

This could make for compelling television. President Barack Obama will hold three town-hall meetings to discuss the health-care overhaul this week, a forum that has, in recent weeks, been the site of wild shouting matches led by irate conservatives. The meetings will be held in New Hampshire, Montana, and Colorado, and attendees will not be screened for their political views, the White House said. In the leadup to the town halls, Obama's deputy press secretary made a point to distance the president from Nancy Pelosi's statement that the rowdy behavior at the gatherings was "un-American." "I think there's actually a pretty long tradition of people shouting at politicians in America," the press secretary said.