Apparently Sebelius misspoke. I am glad that the white house still affirms the possibility of pushing for the public option. Clearly they are trying to de-emphasize it. But they are not trying to erase it from the overall discussion.
I don't think it hurts Obama or the public option cause to make this shift in his overall approach to the discussion of health care. I think he has to shift the dialogue so that the contention over the public option is not always front and center.
Let us continue to push for it and hope that the senate can get its act together. It's still a finance committee world right now and September can't get here fast enough.
On Sunday afternoon, White House health care reform spokeswoman Linda Douglass also emphasized the president's support of the public option, echoing Gibbs' comments and declaring that "nothing has changed."
In an email to Politico, she wrote:
"Nothing has changed," said Linda Douglass, communications director for the White House Office of Health Reform. "The president has always said that what is essential is that health insurance reform must lower costs, ensure that there are affordable options for all Americans and it must increase choice and competition in the health insurance market. He believes the public option is the best way to achieve those goals."
from Huffington Post