Shoot the Hostage

Alright, pop quiz. You're President of the United States. You've almost passed health care reform. You're past the House. You're past the Senate. You're almost there. You can taste it.

But you've got problems.

You've got two bills. They're about the same. They do what they need to do. But all you hear about are the flaws. Everybody is yelling and screaming. You need everyone to agree on everything or you're screwed. And Joe Lieberman might just screw you for the sake of screwing you.

You've a special election in Massachusetts coming up. And you've got your big State of the Union speech coming right at you. Like a bus.

Got that hotshot? What do you do?

Throw the special election. Take the Senate out of the equation. Have the candidate insult the Red Sox. They won't be able to drag her across the finish line. You can pass health care with a majority in the House. Clear shot.

It gets better.

After you throw the election, you watch everyone panic. Act like big reform is impossible now. What happens then? All the lefties that have been blasting you coming running to the rescue.

That Senate bill starts to look pretty darn good when the alternative is complete failure. Sullivan, Klein, Krugman, DailyKos, the single-payers, the public opters, the Medicare expanders, the bloggers, and the papers. Everyone is singing the same tune. The Senate bill will cover the uninsured. The Senate bill will cut costs. The Senate bill will sort out the insurance companies. The Senate bill is what we need. Everyone is on your side and singing the praises of your health care plan.

Just in time for your big speech...