So, we don't know how hard he'll lean on it, or if he'll actually demand it, but this is at least some good news heading into tonight's crucial speech to Congress.
Via AP:
Chief White House spokesman Robert Gibbs says President Barack Obama will again cite a need for a public option on health insurance when he gives a prime-time speech to the nation.
Asked if Obama was willing to abandon a government-run plan to get a bill through Congress, the spokesman replied, "No, the president tonight will talk about the public option and will talk about the need for competition" with the private insurance market.
Of course, this seems consistent with his message the whole time, that he supports the public option and the need for competition. However, the fact that it will be making it into tonight's speech is encouraging. And while I don't think he'll be drawing a line in the sand, let's hope he comes out strongly for it, especially after the questionable performances from our Congressional "leadership" last night.
To me, though, this part of the article, though based on "aides", is the best sign for things to come:
A senior administration official said Obama has ceased worrying about whether he gets any Republican participation. "If they don't want to, we can't worry about that," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to more freely discuss behind-the-scenes thinking.
If we aren't relying on Olympia Snowe's somewhere deep down there conscience, we have a lot more leverage with the Blue Dogs and Senate "Moderates", who are still saying stuff like this:
Rep. Zack Space, D-Ohio, a member of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog coalition, said Obama should "appeal to both sides of the aisle, and to everyone involved in this situation, to embrace a sense of compromise and moderation."
Right. Because the party of Death Panels and school speech flipouts are really up for health reform.
Updated: Like the commenters, I'm in no way convinced that this means he'll really fight for the public option. I am hopeful, but am pretty sure that he won't. But given that the WH had been floating trial balloons weeks ago about abandoning the public option, at least we've come this far with it. And if he was to speak in just vague platitudes, we'd be even further behind in the fight.