I hope I'm wrong as well. Actions speak louder than words though, the President can make this a major issue, he can threaten to veto all sorts of bills near and dear to the hearts of congressmen, he can instruct the RNC to withhold funds from opponents, he can campaign for those who support the bill. He can make this a major centerpiece of his reelection campaign so that he garners a mandate for its passage. In short, he can take the bull by the horn and show the same leadership that got his tax cuts passed.
Hopefully that is the approach we'll see in coming months.