Health Care BS

That’s what Charles Krauthammer calls the $100 million bribe paid to Louisiana Democrat Mary Landrieu to vote for “debate” and cloture on the Senate’s version of Obamacare. Here’s the video:

Meanwhile, Senators Reid and Dodd speculated that Ted Kennedy’s spectre is smiling on their effort to “reform” U.S. health care. No word on how the ghost of Mary Jo Kopechne feels about it.

UPDATE:

Seamus Muldoon points out below and at his blog that Landrieu actually REFUSED to bought for $100 million:

Is this the glimmer of hope that someone on Capitol Hill has a conscience? Sadly, no. It turns out that Senator Landrieu was very happy to be bought, just not for a measly $100 million. She held out for $300 million.

Meanwhile, there are some who regard the necessity of bribing Landrieu and other ”moderate” democrats merely to allow debate as an indication that actual passage will be very difficult. Jennifer Rubin summarizes that argument:

As Politico noted, the party-line vote and the apparent determination of a handful of moderate Democrats not to go along with the public option in a final vote ‘exposed significant divides in the party that make it all but impossible to complete work on a plan by year’s end, and could possibly even sink the bill altogether.’

Perhaps. But the “moderate Democrats,” an oxymoron if ever I heard one, all seem to have round heels. All they ever really insist upon is payment up front.