President Obama is approaching George W. Bush’s lousy approval ratings territory because of his screwed up launch of what was supposed to be his signature achievement, Obamacare.

obamaHenry Chao, digital “mastermind” of Healthcare.gov, dropped a bombshell on a House Energy & Commerce Committee panel yesterday when he said 40 percent of back-office systems of Obamacare is still being built, providing much grist for critics who say the federal health system should never been launched until it was ready for prime time. The reality: delaying the launch would have only resulted in more GOP votes to kill the entire program.

Despite the high-profile problems of Obamacare, less than four-in-ten (38 percent) Americans want it repealed, according to a National Journal/United Technologies poll released Nov. 19. That percentage is only up two percent from a year ago.

A solid 46 percent of respondents believe the “law is experiencing temporary programs and will ultimately produce a better healthcare system for the country.” That’s great news for Obama as long as he is willing to show guts and fight for Obamacare. His best strategy is to follow George H.W. Bush’s mantra of “stay the course.”

Of course, extension of wildly successful Medicare, which had its own rocky debut, to every American is the ultimate solution to fixing the national healthcare system.

Simplicity -- the bane of Obamacare -- is the beauty of universal Medicare. That extension, which would face massive opposition from Republicans, insurers, drug and healthcare companies, is a fight for another President, one with the ability to connect with the American people.