CROSS YOUR FINGERS

In an early morning vote today, the Senate finally passed its sorry-ass version of the health care bill. A few weeks from now, the bill goes into conference to try and resolve the differences between it and the House bill.

As I was ranting a few days ago about the lack of a public option in this bill - the lack of real competition, the lack of real reform - it did occur to me that the Democrats might be playing rope-a-dope, allowing an apparently emasculated bill to pass the Senate so that they could reinvigorate it in conference. But then I thought, naw, that's way to Hollywood, to Rocky, to good to be true. But yesterday, Thom Hartman brought up the same possibility on his KTLK talk show (1150 AM on your dial). Hartman is a level-headed, knowledgeable, articulate advocate for liberal politics, and he seems to believe that this was the Obama plan all along. I think the key word here is "believe."

I'd like to believe. I'd like to believe that Barack Obama, with his extensive education, his organizational experience, his pit bull of a chief of staff, and his compelling personal history, was smart enough to figure out a way to get around the Washington process and do what needed to be done. I'd like to believe it, as so I will. This is my Christmas wish and my new year's resolution: to have faith in their ability to make this thing happen and show the American people that you don't have to be a bad guy to be a winner. Wouldn't that be something.

Merry Christmas, all.