Monday Morning Open Thread

Good morning.

This should be a very interesting and revealing week in the effort to pass health insurance reform. The House Democratic leadership is whipping for the strongest possible public option. In the Senate, various reports over the weekend indicate that we'll soon be seeing Majority Leader Harry Reid's "merged" bill. And, by soon, I mean in the next couple days. As of now, it appears that bill will include a public option with an "opt-out" provision. But, we'll know only know what's in the Senate bill when we see it.

At some point, in the near future, we're going to need to see Obama take a very active role in lobbying for the reform bill on Capitol Hill. He's going to have to use his bully pulpit and the power of his office to get this done. This is his legacy -- not Olympia Snowe's.

Today, the President is holding another meeting on Afghanistan in the morning. Then, he's heading to Naval Air Station Jacksonville in Florida to give a speech and meet with service personnel from the Navy and Marine Corps. He's also doing a fundraiser in Miami tonight.

Should be an interesting week...