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Mad men
That splashing sound you hear is liberals jumping off the health care ship.

For all the talk of a Republican civil war earlier this year, it is remarkable to watch the left wing of the Democratic Party splitting off and vowing to defeat the measure that has been President Obama's top priority.

Finger-pointing is common when legislation is teetering on the brink, but the level of vitriol that has erupted in the past couple of days is nothing short of stunning.

Some liberals are angry at Howard Dean for suddenly leading the charge against the Senate bill. Others are furious at Joe Lieberman for forcing his former party to drop the remnants of a public option and Medicare buy-in. Still others are blaming Obama for letting this thing turn into an increasingly unpopular morass. ...

...Is it still worth passing? The president certainly didn't campaign for a public option. But to add, say, 30 million Americans to the health insurance system through a mandate -- a laudable goal, on the surface -- could really lead to soaring costs without a strong mechanism to keep prices under control. And that seems to be lacking, especially given Congress' record on calling for cuts in programs like Medicare but flinching when it's time to carry them out. ...