This Politico story is not really news. (And it’s Mike Allen, so it very well may be lies and distortions.)

The fact that Obama prefers a public option but is open to other ways to "increase competition" in the insurance market is the same line we’ve heard for months now. You can agree or disagree with it, but it most certainly isn’t new.

And with that, I refer you to Scarecrow for the rest of the analysis.