Off Again, On Again, Off Again

Despite Friday's protestations that the public option will be in the bill, Sen. Ben Nelson is now saying any government run health care plan is effectively "shelved" until further notice.

The idea to allow the federal government to compete with private insurance companies via a so-called “public option” has been “shelved” in Congress, U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson said Friday.

It doesn't have enough votes, he said.

“For the moment, the public option is shelved,” said Nelson, who gave an update on health-care reform to a group of Nebraska doctors in Omaha.

So what's going on here? Every time the Democratic leadership announces that the final bill will have the public option, it's the ConservaDems like Nelson who pipe up and say that the public option is effectively dead.

Which is it, Dems? After all, it's only going to take one Dem to side with the Republican filibuster to effectively kill all health reform.

Who's going to cross their palm with silver? Dems like Nelson keep warning it will happen, but who wants to actually be the Democrat that killed health care reform? I'm thinking none of them.