If this is true — and not just another production line model spit out of the GOP Lietastic Dissembelator 3000™ — it’s an excellent sign:

President Obama has cut off communication with Republican leaders, going more than four months without hosting the bipartisan congressional leadership at the White House to discuss his health care proposal, the No. 2 Republican in the House said Wednesday.

Minority Whip Eric Cantor, Virginia Republican, told The Washington Times that health care reform has been an “utter disaster” for Mr. Obama and predicted if he pushes through a public option as part of a final bill, Republicans will win back at least one chamber of Congress in the 2010 elections.

Mr. Cantor said Mr. Obama initially asked for Republican help on health care, but Republicans have heard nothing since they offered their ideas.

“No matter what the cry is from the White House, no matter what the president claims, they have not engaged with us,” he said. “The White House at this point has shut down, as far as any kind of engagement.”

“I really don’t understand how bipartisanship is ever going to work when one of the parties is insane. Imagine trying to negotiate an agreement on dinner plans with your date, and you suggest Italian and she states her preference would be a meal of tire rims and anthrax. If you can figure out a way to split the difference there and find a meal you will both enjoy, you can probably figure out how bipartisanship is going to work the next few years.” — John Cole

Yesterday, the Republicans’ Senate leader conceded that this is largely true: no matter the circumstances or concessions, Republicans will oppose health care reform.

The Senate Republican leader made clear on Wednesday that his party, despite all its griping over the public health insurance option, abortion-funding or health care for illegal immigrants, is simply and flatly opposed to the “core” of the Democratic health care reform proposal.

Satisfying every Republican demand short of scrapping the entire project, said Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), would still not capture GOP support.

Talking to reporters on the Hill, McConnell said Democrats could remove the public option, remove funding that could be used on abortion, remove funding that could benefit “illegals,” and it wouldn’t make any difference — Republicans recognize “the core of the bill” and they’re against it.

“[H]owever these other issues are resolved, the core of the bill is a trillion dollar government attempt to take over one-sixth of the economy, which slashes Medicare by half a trillion dollars, and raises taxes on most Americans,” McConnell said.

As a substantive matter, McConnell’s remarks yesterday weren’t just wrong, they were ridiculous. But let’s put that aside for now. The key is the larger point: for all the whining about specific provisions, congressional Republicans don’t like the idea of the reform bill. They’re opposed to the general approach to resolving the health care crisis. Democrats could give the GOP all of the talked-about concessions, and it still wouldn’t enough. Not even close.