Healthcare deadline spurred foes: White House's Axelrod

CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts (Reuters) - The Obama administration likely erred in giving Congress summer deadlines to move on U.S. healthcare reform legislation, a top White House official said on Wednesday.

"I might rethink that if we were to start over again," David Axelrod, a senior adviser to President Barack Obama, said at a talk at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government.

The White House had hoped to have key congressional committee pass healthcare bills by the summer, efforts that only lately have started to gain momentum.

"I think it was important to do that (set deadlines) to move the Congress. But that gave opponents of healthcare the ability to say that we're rushing it," Axelrod said in response to a student's question.

Axelrod defended the administration's overall drive for healthcare reform and said he still expected Obama would sign a bill by the end of the year. Working out details with Congress was unavoidable, although it required political battles, he added.

"We learned from past attempts that the best route might not be to drop stone tablets on the House floor and say, "Here's the plan," Axelrod said.

He also praised Maine Senator Olympia Snowe, a Republican who broke with colleagues and voted with Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee to support one of five healthcare bills now working through Congress.

"Frankly I thought when Senator Snowe stepped forward and broke that logjam, that was inspiring," he said.

(Editing by Peter Cooney)