The Health Care Follies Continue

Maybe I won't need to use that title again, at least for awhile...

The leader of the House of Representatives said Thursday she lacks the votes to push the Senate's sweeping health overhaul bill through the House, a potentially devastating blow to President Barack Obama's top domestic priority issue.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi made the comment to reporters after her House Democrats held a closed-door meeting at which participants said lawmakers vented frustration with the massive version of the legislation.

...Pelosi said, "In its present form without any changes I don't think it's possible to pass the Senate bill in the House, adding "I don't see the votes for it at this time."

Pelosi's remarks signaled that advancing health legislation through Congress will likely be a lengthy process — despite Democrats' desire for a quick election-year pivot to address jobs and the economy, which polls show are the American public's top concern.

"We're not in a big rush," Pelosi said. "Pause, reflect."

If this is the end, that quote is perfect. For at least six months, we've been told that it was crucial to get this done NOWNOWNOW. Now that it can't get done, that's when Pelosi decides that it's not a big rush. If I were the President, I'd be considering removing the Speaker from the holiday card list.