Takes us behind the scenes where the Obama administration and the Senate Finance Committee have been negotiating a different version of heath care reform than he had been talking about in public. Well sourced, excellent reporting.

Although I value the coverage of the administration's work with the Blue Dogs and the private sector, I was a bit surprised that there is no discussion of behind-the-scenes negotiations with Republicans. This topic -- including whether these discussions are happening or not -- seems relevant to the story.

Like much of the "says one thing, does another" reporting these days, this piece is a little bit naive. Can you believe that about the NYT? Here's why I say so: Health-care reform was a central issue in the Obama campaign. If the candidate was sincere, of course he will, as president, take an active interest in how the legislation is shaped. His public stance of letting Congress work out the details is only realistic, because at this point, that's where the necessary votes are. The writer isn't very sophisticated about how negotiations take place. Obama's interest is in improving the current situation, not in holding out for every desirable goal and possibly never achieving anything. Didn't another recent White ... More »