As much as I hate the idea of not having a public option in the bill, what compromises will Republicans concede?
They don't want a public option in the bill.They don't even care for a co-op.
One compromise that was floated around early in the debate is the trigger option.  Progressives were anathema to that, citing it was a means to not only delay reform but kill it, and the trigger will never be triggered.  Is there any procedural way to make that trigger really work?  Such that Congress would have to legislate it, assuming certain targets were not reached?  Is it possible to set that in stone?  
I would be into supporting such a trigger option, if it can take away arguments from the GOP. Screw it.  If Republicans have their way, and no impact is made on costs, they've been proven wrong.  Once they're wrong, let's have it our way.  Can the American people wait 2-3 years for a public option?  

Government is not the answer.  Government is the problem.  For years the US military has crowded out private security firms from exercising their rights as Americans.  The mere existence of this "Army", "Navy", "Marine Corp", and "Air Force" have threatened the existence of firms run by private citizens like Blackwater and Halliburton.  These government programs are so plagued with waste, fraud, and abuse to the American tax payer that they should immediately be disbanded.  Isn't it always the case that private citizens will always do better than the government?  Why, if they're were no military, private companies and multinational conglomerates could take over the job of defending our country, better, faster, and cheaper.  The sheer bureaucracy involved in the military is a slap in the face to the American people.  The free market and its invisible hand solves all.  It's not like these private companies would try and fool the American people, or do anything against the interests of the American people!  It's the free market and competition will reign supreme!  All we have to do is disband the military, and leave it up to private companies to solve Iraq, Afghanistan, and take on that pesky Putin.  Kim Jong Il wouldn't stand a chance, and Imadinnerjacket and the I a tolla would instantly fall.  Our Second Amendment rights are to protect the citizenry from standing armies formed by the government.  A well regulated militia stands to counterbalance the tyrannical forces of the gubment, by empowering its citizenry against a standing army the gubment might choose to use against its people.  It's just like healthcare.  Say no to public healthcare, say no the US military!

Ok, he doesn't.  Just read an article on Politico here.  We all should remember that we're all Americans and we all need to work together, no matter who's POTUS. 

Reuters just posted a story on satellite imagery of Baghdad neighborhoods before the surge. 

The surge worked beyond our wildest dreams!  The mere rumour of the surge caused the Sunni and Shi'ia to kill each other in sufficient numbers to clear neighborhoods before the surge happened!  No, I wouldn't call that ethnic cleansing.  But it's JUST like how oil prices dropped with the rumour of domestic drilling.  Exactly like that.  And that's what John Sidney McCain III will do to fix the economy.  And solve our energy crisis.  So... yeah..  Let's drill!  John Sidney McCain III will win the War of Terror, and win the War on Energy, and he will lead Amerika to VICTORY!!!  VICTORY!!!  YOO ES AY!!!  YOO ES AY!!!  YOO ES AY!!!  YOO ES AY!!!

Ok, it seems to me that the nature of the for-profit system of insurance currently employed screws just about everyone.  Insurance companies want to maximize profit, so they exclude the sickest people, cover less, charge more, and squeeze doctors.  Am I wrong?  The concept of insurance itself is a "socialist" notion of spreading risk through out a large subset of population.  Competition in theory should reduce costs, but in the end it doesn't because competition is not measured by the health of the consumers, but by the profit these companies generate.  Health insurance companies themselves play no role in medical innovation.  Wouldn't a single payer system necessarily be the most efficient iteration of insurance?  Of course choice must be offered, so why not allow competition of a government run system on the open marketplace? 

One more thing.  Please please please repeal direct to consumer advertisements.  Those "ask your doctor if this drug is right for you" commercials take a big chunk of pharma dollars, which should be going toward curing cancer, or diseases, or something.  Not this lifestyle drug crap.  Sure having ED is a tough lot, but so is having cancer.  I think I'd take ED anyday.

With all the economic anxiety in the past year (and especially after today), Obama should attack John Sidney McCain III's healthcare policy. 

Bob Herbert's Op-Ed

Obama's seems to always have something up his sleeve.  The man's campaign has been almost too carefully laid out.  Of course he saved the o'reilly (he doesn't deserve capitalization) interview for when he really needed it.  He didn't hit John Sidney McCain III hard until his speech in Denver. 
August fundraising numbers are coming in, and the Obama campaign is reporting that it broke the 55 million mark.  By how much, we don't know.  There's talk out in the interwebs about campaign leaks about "anemic fundraising" is just a ploy.  I agree, the Obama campaign doesn't leak things with out the prior knowledge of anyone in the chain of command. 
September is just starting!  Massive contributions are predicted for the Presidential race.  I'm still confident that he'll at least match McCain's funds by the end of September.  The last 60 days will be a donation flurry.  It seems Obama supporters on the whole get even, by contributing more during bad press cycles.  He will be able to spend with impugnity.  Might we expect national spots during the debates?  Sidney can spend during the talkshows and soap operas and game shows.  Obama can probably afford primetime.  The debates will be widely watched, so it seems perfect. 
Predictions on what else might be up Obama's sleeve?  Chuck Hagel or Colin Powell endorsements?  Ike rises from the dead to endorse Obama?

Sarah Palin?  You madame, are no Harry Truman!

Haven't I seen this movie before? 

Slow down!  Wait for the people to cheer.  I don't think that man has taken a breath yet.

Krugman on going negative

I'm not as big of a fan of Krugman as I am of Dowd, but I do enjoy his column.  The POW card is slowly being undercut.  They said it couldn't be done.  It's happening!

Aside from that, Krugman also points out how the tables have turned this election with the GOP nominee being effectively painted as an elitist:

And you might think that a party committed to tax cuts for the rich, a party that routinely castigates those who engage in “class warfare,” would shy away from attacking a Democrat for his wealth. But raw class envy played an important role in the attacks on Mr. Kerry, whom Rush Limbaugh described repeatedly as a “gigolo” with a “sugar daddy wife,” and G.O.P. supporters don’t seem to have experienced any cognitive dissonance.

Unfortunately, he misses the point that it's not about how many houses.  It's that he doesn't know how many. 
Something just occurred to me.  Is there any way to use Rush Limpballz' attacks on Kerry, against Sidney?  Could that be made into an effective line of attack?

"Passed Over"
John Sidney McCain III's newest campaign ad, featuring.. you guessed it!  Hillary!

Does anyone else think that if Clinton were to have been the running mate, Sidney would have run the same commercial with a slightly different script?  Picture it, "18 million people trust her, but she doesn't him, even though she's his running mate and she said that he's not fit for office... blah blah blah."  Sidney's campaign has been reeling from this week.  And he's about to lose the PeeOhDubya card!  I am filled with glee.

Found this posted by a Politico user.
John Sidney McCain III really loves Bush.

I am absolutely ecstatic about Maureen Dowd's latest column!  She "broke the seal".  Near giddy over it!  I'd totally do her, just because of this.  Any wagers on how quickly it gets on MSNBC, CNN, FauxNooz, the Daily Show, the Colbert Report, and Leno?  I bet it'll be picked up in that order.  It'll be a late-night talk joke within the month. 

Maureen Dowd has always been one of my favourite NYtimes columnists.  She's perceptive and holds nothing sacred.  Plus I think she's hilarious.  She's finally picked it up and she's controversial enough that the MSM will start to pick it up.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/24/opinion/24dowd.html?hp