Greg Sargent reports on last night’s healthcare bill briefing between senate leaders and the administration. Both Sargent and the NY Times report that Reid briefed Obama regarding various scenarios, including how a public option might be included in the bill. Obama did not express a preference for the options laid out, but simply asked questions.

“And that’s as it should be, the official continues, because Reid has not made a final decision to take this route. So the White House wouldn’t be expected to take a position on it.”

Personally, this reasoning absolutely baffles me. The White House has been involved in this effort–particularly on the Senate side–from it’s inception. In fact, since before its inception. But now they’re hanging back because Harry Reid is so masterful in the Senate?

Please. This simply does not pass the smell test.

Also consider that it is this Administration that will be branded with this legislative product much more than Congress. It is Obama’s government that will have to make this thing actually work. With that in mind, the issue of having states opt-out is a huge factor in the actual efficacy of the legislation. For Obama to simply have no opinion either way–no preference as to whether states opt out or not–is simply beyond belief.

I don’t know if this continued and blatant lack of tangible support for the pubic option is due to the WH’s deal with Pharma or for some other reason, but the idea that Obama is hanging back in order to let Harry Reid work his legislative magic is simply absurd. It is about as absurd as the completely manufactured and somewhat desparate hope that Obama is playing some form of hidden, multi-dimensional chess match and that his unseen hand is at work everywhere, magically providing for us that bright future we have longed for.

No. If something salvagable comes from this legislation–and by that I mean a public insurance option that will either a) provide true competition to existing plans and lower prices accordingly and/or b) provide a safety net for those completely priced out of the market–it will not be because of Grand Chess Master Obama. For any grand master will tell you that you must actually move pieces on the board in order to gain desired outcomes.