Excerpt:
According to Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI), among the most vocal supporters of the public option, the ultimate responsibility for a Senate health care bill without a public option or Medicare expansion lies with the Obama administration.
Many progressives have painted the Obama administration as powerless to stand up to the will of Congress, blaming Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) for single-handedly forcing Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) to drop the public option and Medicare expansion from the bill. It may not be realistic, however, to believe that one Senator has that much power and influence. On the other hand, it may be more practical to believe that the White House, with Presidential directives, veto and other means does have the power to force or mold legislation.
Russ Feingold probably knew exactly that when he said, according to The Hill:
It would be unfair to blame Lieberman for its apparent demise…[because] President Barack Obama…could have insisted on a higher standard for the legislation. This bill appears to be legislation that the president wanted in the first place, so I don’t think focusing it on Lieberman really hits the truth. I think they could have been higher. I certainly think a stronger bill would have been better in every respect.
If one looks closely at the twists and turns in the health care debate over the past few months, there is much evidence to support Feingold’s assertion.
Read more here: http://www.examiner.com/x-23316-Madison-Independent-Examiner~y2009m12d17-Russ-Feingold-Obama-got-the-health-care-bill-he-wanted
I think Russ Feingold is right. I can’t believe that in just a few months Obama has gone from saying he wouldn’t sign anything without a public option, and even saying that a bill without a public option wouldn’t do anything to lower HC costs, to accepting this reeking load of manure and having Gibbs criticize Dean for wanting to kill it. Perhaps Obama was playing chess — just for the wrong side.