This is on Big Harry.

Now that we have the entire teeth-gritting, nails-on-a-chalkboard Senate Finance Committee health care bill passed by a vote of 14-9, we can put them (or maybe just Baucus) out of the immediate spotlight. But you who awaits? Ramblin' Harry Reid! It's all on him now to ensure a public option final legislation. Because we already know that the House version will have one. If the Senate's has one, it's a done deal. So this, I believe, may be the biggest stage in all of this, sans an Obama endorsement of something solid.

Reid has a tough re-election fight ahead of him in 2010. He will have to hit the trail hard and fight for his life against a solid opponent (Jerry "The Shark" Tarkanian's son I hear) in Nevada. In that scenario, does Reid want to abolish a public option right here? Will that help him get elected or not? Or does he just want to do the least political harm while making some sort of supposed effort? Or does he care? Firedoglake:

The message (GLH: from other Democrats like Chuck Schumer) is pretty simple. Reid has the power to pass a public option. If the public option is killed in the Senate, the blame rests squarely on Reid. The question is, with a very tough election coming up, does Reid want to be know as the man who killed the public option?

This is it. This decision, the strategy of Leader Harry Reid will be assessed and students of political science may well dissect his choice here as a prime example of U.S. leadership in the modern political era. This could be a study in leadership driven by the political, and not for the people, only for maintaining power and influence. If Reid caves and the bill either has a watered-down coop (or trigger or opt-in plan) or if it doesn't include a public plan at all, I think we'll see it quite plainly. This is HIS FUCKING BILL. Forget Max Baucus now. He's done. Obama, obviously, has THE strongest hand, but I feel Reid has the weight of a sure thing on his back. This is what he'll be remembered for. Nothing else, most likely -- even his tenure of milquetoast, tepid command of the Senate after being awarded this significant mandate from the people.