The paradox of the Obama pullback on reform is that he, and this Congress, received a strong mandate from the voters last fall to tackle great and pressing issues such as healthcare reform. The implicit understanding in that mandate is that he, and the members of Congress, would pursue progressive legislation, and while Obama did promise to pursue bipartisanship, he is under no obligation to cave in to unreasonable demands by an opposition party that has been placed in the political wilderness by its own incompetence. Every time he and the Democrats have pulled back in the face of Republican opposition in this debate, the GOP has made clear that any bill, regardless of the content, is still too liberal for its members to vote for. Obama is responding more to the wishes of members of Congress who have no intention of voting for any Democratic healthcare reform bill rather than the wishes of his actual constituents. The administration is unwilling to rigorously test the wide majorities in Congress that the American people gave. Healthcare reform was never going to be easy. The obstacles in the way of reform have befuddled liberal-minded presidents for decades now, but this current administration, in allowing outright fabrications to influence policy, is beginning to drift towards political cowardice at an alarming speed.

If Congress passes, and the president signs, any healthcare reform bill that does not have a public option, that bill will be nothing less than a failure. Thankfully, a large portion of the Democratic caucus in the House has been very vocal the last two days on this issue. Multiple letters have been drafted and signed by dozens of House Democrats and sent to the president, stating flatly that any bill that comes before them without a public option will lose their support. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, while not being as forceful as others in the House, has said that any bill will have a public option included. Many Senators have also reiterated the importance of the public option, such as Russell Feingold, who said that 'without a public option, I don't see how we will bring real change to a system that has made good healthcare a privilege for those who can afford it.'

President Obama should heed the words of these Congressmen and Senators who continue to stress the importance of the public option. They represent the real debate on healthcare reform. They represent a majority of Americans. Right now, President Obama is reacting to liars and scoundrels, and their dupes, but not in a way that marginalizes their fringe positions. Rather, by floating the possibility of removing the public option, he is legitimizing them. If this country were meant to continue to feel the jackboot of radical right-wing ideology, Obama would not have been elected president.