Bipartisan Support Only With Co-Op

Bipartisan Support Only With Co-Op
Face the Nation: Senators Grassley and Conrad Both Agree Public Option Won't Pass Senate
Lieberman: Obama should scale back

by Jim Tankersley

With Americans so worried about the struggling economy and Congress prepping for a host of major legislative battles this year, President Barack Obama should scale back his health-care reform push and settle for a smaller, bipartisan bill, a key Senate moderate said this morning.

In particular, Obama should put off his push to cover every American with health insurance, Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) said on CNN's State of the Union.

"Great changes in our country often have come in steps," Lieberman said. "The civil rights movement occured in steps. Let's focus now on how to reduce costs."

A moment later, he added "Morally, every one of us would like to cover every American with health insurance. But that's where you spend most" of the roughly trillion-dollar health plan. "We should think about putting that off until the economy is out of the recession."

Lieberman, an independent who caucuses with Democrats in the Senate but endorsed Republican John McCain in last year's presidential election, was seconded by Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.), who said the nation's "economic malaise" warranted putting off a major health care overhaul until at least next year.

But Senate Democrats continued to push for a wide-scale effort this fall, including covering the uninsured and creating a so-called "public option" for health insurance -- calling both critical to any hopes of reducing rapidly escalating health expenses.

"We've got to offer choice to bring down cost," said Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.).

On Fox News Sunday, Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) blamed "disinformation" for slumping public support for Obama's health plan, and he projected confidence that the president would ultimately prevail.

"I do not think it is in trouble," Specter said of the health bill. "I think it's in a period of analysis and re-analysis...I think we have a good chance to get bipartisan reform done."