Today, Andrew has grasped at realism and pulled himself back from the brink:
Obama will stay cool, get his Senate health bill through the House, and move on to financial re-regulation and economic revival. If the Democrats in the House balk at this, they have to be nuts. They will be buying into the Rovian psych-out. And I don't believe that so many worked so hard for Obama so recently in order to restore the logic and priorities of Rovian cynicism.
That's the right answer. Am I comfortable that the path there will be an easy one? Who could watch what has been going on to be comfortable? But, the path is clear. Keep on moving forward.
P.S.: I spend most of my time here dealing with the immediate politics of this thing. So, at least let me make a point that I have alluded to already. Taking on health care reform at this time was a colossal blunder by the President, and it is now being used by the so-called Progressives as a knife to slit the President's and the Democratic party's throats. I would have been much, much happier if the President had used his political capital to aggressively roll back the torture, wiretapping, and other Bush-era policies that have tarnished the meaning of American freedom.
Look, I'm not sure I am terribly fond of the health care reform bill as it is, and I've written about my concerns in the past. The bill is progress, yes, but for many the costs will create terrible resentment, forcing people to spend more money on insurance they're not sure they want (regardless of whether they actually need it). I'm not sure I am thrilled about what it will do for me, either.
But we are where we are. Too much political capital has unfortunately been invested in it, and the point of no return was passed a long, long time ago. Passing this bill, and now, is essential to save the rest of this President's agenda, and this Congress needs to work hard over the next year to do just that. Period.
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