So Long Public Option?

I still haven't read the Paul Starr piece that Josh Marshall pointed to earlier, but now there's an item out of the White House that makes it look like the wheeling and dealing for Snowe and maybe even Collins has some substance.
That's if, of course, the Senate can get past the Republican obstruction plans. With those two votes, they probably can.
Here's a link — if you can bear this —  to the debate among Starr and his two co-founders of The American Prospect (oh, that Paul Starr. No, actually never heard of him either.)
Bottom line:

If the Democrats can't get a strong public plan through the Senate but can get a strong design of the exchanges by trading off a weak public plan, they should take that deal and pass the bill.