Launching The Escape Pods From The Starship Lieberman

Joe F'ckin Lieberman has upped the ante and now says he prefers no health care reform whatsoever to a public option bill.

On CBS’ Face The Nation today, however, host Bob Schieffer put the question to Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT), who claims that he is “all for health care reform, but is threatening to join a Republican filibuster to stop any reform bill that has a public option.

“But wouldn’t that mean that you might wind up with nothing instead of something?” asked Schieffer. Lieberman responded by saying that supporters of the public option are “stopping us from getting something done” because they’re making the option “the litmus test.” Pressed again by Schieffer, Lieberman admitted that he would prefer “nothing”:

SCHIEFFER: But is what you’re also saying is that nothing is better than a government health insurance, or a health insurance reform that includes a public option? Nothing is better than that?

LIEBERMAN: Well, the truth is that nothing is better than that because I think we ought to follow, if I may, the doctor’s oath in Congress as we deal with health care reform, do no harm.

To support his claim that the public option would do harm, Lieberman said that the Congressional Budget Office found that under the House’s health care plan, premiums for the public option would be higher than the average premium in private plans in the exchange. But as TPMDC’s Brian Beutler reported, this is actually an argument for a more robust public option.

But logic doesn't matter. Joe wants to be the Most Important Man In Washington.

And until the Dems show him the door, he will be. Remember that when you think back on all this. I know personally that it's time for re-enrolling in my employer's health care plan this month. 2010 premiums for the same coverage I had last year are up another 12% or so over 2009. But I'm sure that Joe's Nothing will work out just fine for America.