CAVE-IN TO THE LEFT - AT 7:16 P.M. ET:  Senate Majority Leader Harry "Mr. Excitement" Reid, is apparently caving to the leftist ideologues in his party on the health-care "reform" bill.  From the Washington Post:

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (Nev.) announced Monday that he will seek to bring a health-care bill to the Senate floor that includes a government insurance plan, a major reversal from just two weeks ago, when Reid was leaning against the idea.

He also called for the bill to include a version of the so-called public option with an clause that would allow states to decide by 2014 not to participate in the government plan.

"The best way to move forward is a public option with the opt-out provision for states," Reid told reporters, adding that he "clearly" believes that such a bill would have "the support of my caucus."

It also has the support of the White House, which said that President Obama was "pleased that the Senate has decided to include a public option for health coverage, in this case with an allowance for states to opt out."

COMMENT:  The problem here is that Reid could lose the support of Republican Senator Olympia Snowe of Maine, who's been counted as the one possible Republican vote, thus far, for a health-care bill.  Snowe said today that she was disappointed by Reid's decision to include a public option. 

This maneuvering could mean that Reid might have to employ the "nuclear option," slamming the bill through the Senate, affecting one sixth of the U.S. economy, with only Democratic votes. 

Nothing like bipartisanship we can believe in.

October 26, 2009