PRESIDENT Barack Obama has launched a TV broadcast blitz to build support for his top domestic priority - a remake of the US healthcare system, the fate of which now rests in the hands of a deeply divided Senate committee.

PRESIDENT Barack Obama has launched a TV broadcast blitz to build support for his top domestic priority - a remake of the US healthcare system, the fate of which now rests in the hands of a deeply divided Senate committee.

Obama became the first US president to appear on five Sunday network talk and public affairs shows on the same morning in an extraordinary effort to defend his controversial healthcare overhaul, which has come under intense attack from opposition Republicans.

The interviews with ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN and the Hispanic network Univision were taped on Friday at the White House.

Obama is also visiting David Letterman on Monday, the first appearance ever by a sitting president on comedian Letterman's Late Show.

The media push leads up to Tuesday, when members of the Senate's finance committee plan to start voting on their version of a healthcare reform bill.

Republicans see a chance to deliver a stunning blow to Obama that could cripple his presidency. - Sapa-AP