Check out this nuggetfrom Josh Marshall.
Here's a new wrinkle in the health care skirmishes: apparently Rep. Boehner has fired off an angry letter to Billy Tauzin accusing him of appeasing the Obama administration.
The Obama Administration tacitly acknowledged last week that the President will not be bound by the $80 billion limit PhRMA and its board of directors were led to believe had been secured in exchange for your organization's support of the Administration's health care takeover," Boehner writes, "and key Democrats...have said explicitly they will not honor the agreement.
More below ...
This is especially interesting in light of the administration's recently softened commitment to the public option. Boehner wouldn't make such statement's publicly unless he thought there could be a public option in some form. This is what I'm guessing at any rate. At a minimum, there's strong commitment to the public option in the House of Representatives. We knew all along that Republicans would not support any health care reform legislation, and yet even in their opposition they are at least rhetorically committed to reform.
Americans are frustrated with their government in Washington and skeptical of those who run it. They want health care reform that lowers costs and increases choice - not government-run health care that increases costs and lowers options.
You can read the whole letter here.
Perhaps Obama's hand is stronger than we think? What's going on here?
Sorry for such a short diary, but I'm at work and I wanted to dash of a quick one to gauge people's thoughts on this.