us chamber of commerce, whose motto is "Bring the money HERE."
puts the clincher on max baucus and his fellow bozo school friend senatorial handpuppets -- if the us chamber of commerce likes it, it is evil to the core.

Obama needs to say publicly that this is a bill he would veto. He has to clearly state that any bill he will sign must have real reform of health care, not just health insurance, and that that must include a public option. If no Republican votes for it, tough luck - it's the final nail in the Confederate traitors' coffin.

On health care in Japan,

http://www.livescience.com/health/090728-bad-healthcare.html

No one here in this island nation of 130 million has gone bankrupt as a result of medical fees. In a country notorious for $80 cantaloupes and coffin-size hotel rooms for $200, healthcare services are remarkably inexpensive.

Although I am fully insured in the United States, my family opts to opt out while in Japan, paying full price for basic health services such as dental, ophthalmology and otolaryngology. (That's right: When's the last time you've had a routine visit with an ear doctor.)

Such services cost about $20, the same price as my co-pay would have been stateside, and we don't need an appointment. . . .

There must be some penalty for Baucus' treachery. Let's at least move him along faster to a lucrative lobbyist spot and out of government. I'm willing to contribute to that end. Meantime, hate mail is always a good option.

OK.

Just a week ago everyone was saying that all we needed was to get a bill - any bill - out of Finance then the Senate could enact Kennedy's bill anyway or things could get fixed in Conference.

Now, all of a sudden, it's BLITZKRIEG!!!. Baucus has spoken. We all obey.

All I know is that Obama has invited Gates and that Cambridge cop to the White House for a beer, which is some evidence that - unlike Bush - he is not an alcoholic.

Gee isn't that swell. Besides which he has cute daughters.

Well, that's something.

"Restructuring one-sixth of the U.S. economy is too important to pursue on a one-party basis."

Notice how this frightening and incendiary phrase — "restructuring one-sixth of the U.S. economy" — makes absolutely no real comment about the issue. It doesn't mention potential results of the restructuring. It doesn't mention that that particular one-sixth is in an assload of trouble as it is. It doesn't even say whether restructuring is a good idea or a bad one. It merely brands a fraction of our overall economy and hopes that by naming it as such, the implication will be that restructuring is a bad idea that will kill us all.

My mortgage is about one-fourth of my personal economy. If I refinance that mortgage to get a lower interest rate, I am, in fact, restructuring one-fourth of my personal economy. Sounds scary until you remember the lower monthly payments.

Single payer is the Way to go fo All Americans. It will avoid the politicians of NO; the lobbyists of insurance companies. It will give America what it needs.

Working so hard and so long to come up with something so bad should not go unpunished.

My prediction is that Max Baucus will not seek reelection because he will instead become a highly paid lobbyist or other employee of the private ins. industry...his reward for poisoning a public option.

It's sad really that so many of our esteemed democratic senators have become political whores...at least republican senators make no bones about it...they don't even try to pretend otherwise.

"Restructuring one-sixth of the U.S. economy is too important to pursue on a one-party basis."

You mean the one sixth that is bleeding the country dry and causing a nation wide collapse...the one even 50% of republicans want reformed?...that 1/6th.

Thank goodness everyone knows the Chamber of Commerce is just a lobbyist group for the ins industry.

The blue dogs are ... "dogs" (but I don't really hate real dogs, "just sayin'")