"Senator Max Baucus of Montana, one of the two Democrats in the talks, said, "When the final agreement becomes public and the details are announced, it will get more votes in the House and the Senate than some might think."
The other Democrat, Senator John B. Breaux of Louisiana, said, "The only thing that can prevent this from being passed is unnecessary political partisanship."
But the Democrats' senior strategist on health care issues, Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, denounced parts of the bill that would give private health insurers a much larger role in Medicare.
"I remain deeply troubled that this plan will undermine the reliability and affordability of Medicare," Mr. Kennedy said. The Senate passed a Medicare bill with overwhelming bipartisan support in June, but on issue after issue, Mr. Kennedy said, the final product appears to "tilt in favor of the right-wing agenda.""
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/16/politics/16MEDI.html?hp
The agreement appears to be one tilted to the right. Why a savy, experience liberal like Kennedy pushed this in the first place is a mystery. What did he think would happen? This would be a disaster for the Dems. It will allow Bush to claim credit while escaping the blame because seniors won't have to fork over large out-of-pocket costs until '06. Plus, the other provisions will undermine Medicare's universality and public nature. This is the beginning of privatization. The Republicans will next turn their sights on privatizing Social Security.
In short, thanks to the killer Bees, this agreement is a disaster for true Democrats. Harry Truman and Lyndon Johnson must be rolling over in their graves.