A gaffe, according to editor and columnist Michael Kinsley, is when a politician accidentally tells the truth.

President Barack Obama made one yesterday when he did a Q&A with the House Republican conference – one no one seemed to notice.

THE PRESIDENT: Tom [Price, R-Ga.], look, I have to say that on the -- let's just take the health care debate. And it's probably not constructive for us to try to debate a particular bill -- this isn't the venue to do it. But if you say, "We can offer coverage for all Americans, and it won't cost a penny," that's just not true. You can't structure a bill where suddenly 30 million people have coverage, and it costs nothing.

But technically, this is what President Obama himself has said with his demand that health care reform be deficit neutral. By overhauling the system, Obama has said that he can cover 30 million additional people and it won’t cost an extra penny.

I know it’s not true. You know it’s not true. President Obama knows its not true.

So, how does he make it “appear” true? He imposes a tax for four years before he starts paying out any benefits. He effectively rations care by cutting the treatment options people on the government programs get.

In an era of exploding deficits, the only way President Obama and the Democrats in Congress know they can get reform passed is if it doesn’t add anything to America’s debt – they certainly aren’t going to get support for a broad-based tax increase in this economy. So, they tell the big lie. A lie that President Obama has now confessed he knows to be a lie.

Will this change the debate? Will it bring some honesty to the debate?

Don’t hold your breath.