Punting On 4th And Goal, Down By 6

The Senate has all but thrown in the towel on health care reform.

With no clear path forward on major health care legislation, Democratic leaders in Congress effectively slammed the brakes on President Obama’s top domestic priority on Tuesday, saying that they no longer felt pressure to move quickly on a health bill after eight months of setting deadlines and missing them.

The Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, Democrat of Nevada, deflected questions about health care. “We’re not on health care now,” he said. “We’ve talked a lot about it in the past.” He added, “There is no rush,” and noted that Congress still had most of this year to work on the health bills passed in 2009 by the Senate and the House.

Mr. Reid said that he and the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi of California, were working to map out a way to complete a health care overhaul in coming months. “There are a number of options being discussed,” Mr. Reid said, emphasizing “procedural aspects” of the issue.

There is no rush.  Mapping out a plan in the coming months.  No clear path forward.   That's hysterical.  You have a plan.  You just have to have the moral fiber to do it.

Pass the damn bill.

[UPDATE 8:35 PM]  Rep. James Clyburn understands and says if the Senate promises to make real fixes in reconciliation, the House will pass the Senate bill.  But he wants Obama to get behind the plan.

Good luck on that, James.