Lieberman's Health Care Tricks

Josh Marshall notes on Talking Points Memo that Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT) is not negotiating in good faith on health care reform.

It's starting to seem like it may just be better for Dems to try to make a deal with Olympia Snowe, kick Joe Lieberman out of the party and be done with it. The leadership in the senate thought that Lieberman was on board with the latest compromise. But in an appearance on Face the Nation and later in a sit-down with Sen. Reid, Lieberman said he'd join the Republican filibuster if the Medicare buy-in remained in the bill.

What's most telling about Lieberman isn't his positions, which are not that much different from Sen. Nelson's and perhaps Sen. Lincoln's. It's more that he seems to keep upping the ante just when the rest of the caucus thinks they've got a deal. If it happened once, a misunderstanding might be a credible explanation. But it's happened too many times. Sen. Nelson has driven Dems to distraction on this bill. But his demands have been fairly consistent over time. Lieberman just doesn't seem to be negotiating in good faith. He keeps pulling his caucus to some new compromise, waiting a few days and then saying he can't agree to that either. It's coming to a breaking point.

Marshall notes elsewhere that Lieberman supported the Medicare buy-in that he now says is unacceptable in 2000 and again as recently as three months ago. Lieberman obviously sees personal political benefit in acting as a roadblock to health care reform.

UPDATE: Apparently the White House thinks it needs Lieberman's vote badly enough to give in to him. Rahm Emanuel reportedly instructed Harry Reid to make a deal. Will Lieberman make a "deal" and then backtrack again?

--Ballard Burgher