Health Care Talks Bring Obama, Reid Together After 'Negro' Controversy

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will come face to face with President Obama on Wednesday for the first time since a firestorm of controversy erupted last weekend over comments the Nevada Democrat once made about Obama's race and dialect that were quoted in a new book about the 2008 presidential race.

Reid and other Democratic congressional leaders will go to the White House to update the president on health care negotiations, which are taking place behind closed doors.

An adviser to Reid told Fox News that a compromise health care reform legislation is being hammered out among the leadership in both chambers and that a final version could be sent to the Congressional Budget Office as early as the end of the week. The process would take about 10 days, according to the aide, after which each chamber would attempt to pass the bill without changes.

Altering the legislation even slightly could spell doom for the package in either chamber.

But undoubtedly the spotlight Wednesday also will turn to Obama and Reid and the comments Reid made in 2008, when he said that then Sen. Obama had a good chance of winning the presidency because of his "light skin" and his lack of a "Negro dialect" unless he wanted to have one. The comments are contained in the new book "Game Change." Reid issued a public apology Saturday and apologized to Obama personally, while Obama said he accepts the apology and wants to move on.

Democrats have stood united behind Reid in the face of calls for him to resign his leadership position by Republicans who say there is a double standard when it comes to controversial statements on race. Sen. Trent Lott stepped down as minority leader in 2002 after drawing sharp criticism for praising Strom Thurmond, a former segregationist senator.

Reid has vowed to remain in the post, but the controversy won't help his re-election bid, which was already in jeopardy, according to polls that show his approval ratings have hit an all-time low. He is trailing all three potential GOP opponents.

Reid said a news conference Tuesday that his poll numbers are just fine, and he's confident the party organization in his state is mobilized for a successful run. Reid said he's turning his attention to health care and the economy.

Democrats hope passing health care reform will bolster their chances in the midterm elections coming later this year. But reconciling the Senate and House bills has proven difficult.

When asked how congressional leaders would mix the bills together, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charlie Rangel, D-N.Y., said, "With great difficulty."

Fox News' Trish Turner and Chad Pergram contributed to this report.