Watching the cable pundits last night wrangle with the majority of Americans disapproving of how Obama is handling health care reform, I was struck by their automatic assumption that all 52% of those who disapprove are against reform. Where did they get that idea?

If asked if I approved or disapproved of how he was handling health care reform, I would be in the disapprove category because think he is weakening reform by trying to get GOP support that won't come. I disapprove of him bowing to the Blue Dogs and letting the least Democratic Democrats run the show. I disapprove of him not pushing the Senate to act before the recess, thereby opening up more opportunities to weaken the bill. I think he's going for too little, too diffidently and compromising too much.

So I disapprove - because I want better strong health care reform and I am wiling to bet that since 72% of Americans want the public option and see it being frittered away by over-conciliatory compromise, that it's damn likely that more of those 52% who disapprove of how Obama is handling health care reform do so because they think he's dithering and wasting the opportunity for a stronger, better plan than are those who want little or nothing.

In fact, those who want some tinkering around the edges reform should be the ones who approve his handling, because as it goes right now - that's where we are headed.