History is not destiny, and Democrats and progressives can yet enact meaningful health care reform -- with a public option. But to do so, we'll need to be far more disciplined about it. All of us, from Obama on down.
The whole column is superb, but the notes about liberal discipline are outstanding. I think the question of discipline is what's bothering me most about this sudden attack against the public option by certain liberal groups. In short: we can't win healthcare reform with a strong public option if we're divided -- half of us attacking the public option from the left flank. This is the best way to get nothing.
(Adding... Again, I support single-payer, but via a public option as a bridge.)