If the Founding Fathers could have wrapped their brains around the notion of the Internet and social media, I have to think that Thursday’s Health Care Summit in Washington, D.C., would have been exactly what they had in mind.

All the political posturing and grandstanding aside, every American with access to cable television or a computer could witness and/or take part in the debate. Twitter and Facebook were buzzing with activity. Each cable news channel was inviting comment via e-mail and blogs. You couldn’t find a better 21st-century example of government “of the people, by the people and for the people.”

Cynics (a label that has been hung on me from time to time) may gripe that the Health Care Summit was nothing more than an exercise in political vanity. While that’s a difficult point to argue, I think it’s a price worth paying in order to give us all a front row seat for at least part of a debate that will impact all of us greatly.

I hope the President and congressional leaders will take us down this path again very soon.