By ANN McFEATTERS, Scripps Howard News Service

President Obama is in trouble. So are we.

When the president vows to keep a campaign promise by insisting on health care insurance for all and makes millions of people furious, including many Democrats, you know he has confused us.

At a recent town hall meeting, widely shown on cable TV, a nearly hysterical, sobbing woman was saying that her insurance company had denied home health care for her bedridden husband.

The congressman listened to her, promised that his staff would look into the matter and went on to say that the trouble with America today is government.

Following reports the CIA hired private spies to be assassins, former U.S. intelligence officials are defending the use of contractors, estimating one out of three intelligence workers is on contract.

Americans at county fairs are friendly and nice. Americans at family reunions are fabulous. Americans at town-hall meetings? Not so great.

August being the month for all three, we are seeing a particularly dark side of ourselves this month.

So our lawmakers, exhausted from weeks of bickering, are headed home for their annual August recess to take the country's pulse at town meetings, constituent picnics and county fairs. What should we tell them?

They're probably not expecting to hear, "Guys, you are doing a great job." They will not be surprised.

"Hey, we're makin' history here, we're makin' real history here," said a legislator talking about Congress and inadvertently echoing Dustin Hoffman's "I'm walkin' here, I'm walkin' here" line in the movie "Midnight Cowboy.''

Well, uh, sure. We're all making history, most of which, thankfully, will not be recorded or remembered. But maybe the operative word is "real" history.

"Hey, we're makin' history here, we're makin' real history here," said a legislator talking about Congress and inadvertently echoing Dustin Hoffman's "I'm walkin' here, I'm walkin' here" line in the movie "Midnight Cowboy.''

Well, uh, sure. We're all making history, most of which, thankfully, will not be recorded or remembered. But maybe the operative word is "real" history.

Oh dear. After President Obama's news conference on health care/health insurance reform, I am more confused than ever about whether it will -- or should -- pass this year.

White House Watch

By Ann McFeatters

Just when you think you know what's going on in Washington under President Obama's new open-government policy, you find out the place is still riddled with secrets.

When former President George W. Bush figures its safe to pile on President Obama, you know the people are restless.