Apparently, the White House is trying to put an end to the very dealmaking Pelosi has decided to push in her off-line meetings — and Democrats resent Obama’s“grandstanding” on clean government principles:

“The White House is pushing to strip out a number of “sweetheart” deals in the Senate bill as Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that Democrats are unlikely to make the March 18 deadline set by President Obama for passage, an indication the House speaker doesn’t have the votes to pass it. …

Pelosi had ordered committee chairmen to postpone their hearings Thursday so lawmakers could finish backroom negotiations.

Democratic leaders insisted a deal is near, despite several unanswered questions, whether it’s expanding Medicaid or Medicare, tax-funded abortion service, special kickbacks for resistant lawmakers or the untallied costs.

Obama already has moved to eliminate a couple of special deals in the Senate bill that turned off voters when they became public, including extra Medicaid funding for Nebraska — derided by critics as the “cornhusker kickback” and Medicare coverage for residents of Libby, Mont., who suffer from asbestos-related illnesses because of a now-closed mining operation.”