HOW BARACK OBAMA COULD SAVE AMERICA

The Wall Street Journal reports:

President-elect Donald Trump said he would consider leaving in place certain parts of the Affordable Care Act, an indication of possible compromise after a campaign in which he pledged repeatedly to repeal the 2010 health-care law....

Mr. Trump said he favors keeping the prohibition against insurers denying coverage because of patients’ existing conditions, and a provision that allows parents to provide years of additional coverage for children on their insurance policies....

On health care, Mr. Trump said a big reason for his shift from his call for an all-out repeal was the meeting at the White House with Mr. Obama, who, he said, suggested areas of the Affordable Care Act, widely known as Obamacare, to preserve.

Which reminds me of this, from The Washington Post:

Several of Trump's former executives said staffers knew that the last person to talk to the boss about an issue would usually get what he or she wanted. That trait was so reliable that at least one executive, who asked not to be named because he still advises Trump, said he would camp out in Trump's office in the final hours ahead of key deadlines, making certain that his would be the last word the boss heard before making his decision.

So that's how Barack Obama can save America, or at least salvage some of what needs preserving: He should make it his goal to speak to President Trump as often as possible, and be the last person to talk to him about every important issue.

After the two men met, Trump said he'd be amenable to that:

President-elect Trump, who rose to political fame by falsely questioning the birthplace of the sitting president, said he had "great respect" for Obama, called him a "very good man" and said he would seek his "counsel" in the future....

"I very much look forward to dealing with the president in the future, including counsel," Trump said. "He's -- he explained some of the difficulties, some of the high-flying assets, and some of the really great things that have been achieved."

There's Obama's post-presidential mission: Be a president whisperer. Get in touch with Trump every day or two, and explain to him that good laws -- Social Security? Medicare? The Iran deal? The Paris accords? -- are "high-flying assets" and "really great things that have been achieved."

Do this, Mr. President. Your country will thank you.