Short answer: It's not dead, at least not yet. What sources told Dick Morris earlier this week -- and as passed along in this space -- was clearly not correct. Morris reported sources telling him that Obama, Pelosi and Reid had basically come to agreement that the House would pass the Senate's version of the bill (with Obama then signing it into law), followed by the House and Senate passing an additional bill that would amend the bill Obama signed so that House dems can get some of the things they want (including, perhaps, a "public option") into the bill. The passage of the second bill was to be accomplished in the Senate by use of the "nuclear option," AKA reconciliation -- an infrequently used procedural gimmick that allows a majority party to circumvent the normal Senate rules and pass a "budget-related" measure by a simple majority vote rather than the typical 60 required to avoid a filibuster.There has clearly not yet been an agreement to pursue that course of action (Morris' sources were wrong). But make no mistake, Obama/Reid/Pelosi are clearly mulling that very same course of action, and just can't seem to make up their minds (see linked story from today's Politico.com). Regardless of outcome, it's going to be fascinating to observe whether the far left powerbrokers ultimately choose to ram-rod something through using the nuclear option or whether the legislation truly does die on the vine (and of course, the dems also have other options, such as trying to pass more-popular bits and pieces of their bill in piecemeal fashion). But keep your eyes open, because the notion of the dems passing a "comprehensive" bill ain't dead yet, folks.
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