in sum:

so based on what we're seeing so far sounds like Wilson's constituents are with him on this one

So what do the Democrat's do on the center piece of their legislative agenda, the same d*mn thing. The fox is put in charge of guarding the hen house.

Lincoln, Pryor confer with Obama on health care
Posted on 10 September 2009

LITTLE ROCK -- Arkansas' two U.S. senators said they came away with a private meeting with President Obama on Thursday encouraged by his openness to different ideas on reforming health care but still not ready to fully embrace his plan.

...Lincoln said Obama did not change her opposition to a public option, and she was pleased to hear him say it was not the cornerstone of his plan.

"I think he reiterated what he said last night, which is that it's a means to an end, it's not the solution to the problem, and that there might be something out there that would be helpful in terms of creating competition in the marketplace ... but I don't think he's wed to any name," she said.

"There's lots of different things out there, there's a co-op, there's a trigger, there's a fallback, there's a nonprofit plan," she said.

Pryor said he was glad to hear Obama pin down what he means by a public option -- a limited government plan that only about 5 percent of the uninsured would have access to -- but he said the senators told the president the proposal's chances were slim...

Pryor said he was glad to hear Obama pin down what he means by a public option -- a limited government plan that only about 5 percent of the uninsured would have access to -- but he said the senators told the president the proposal's chances were slim...

First off, this statement makes it sound as though the president is going to restrict the public plan to only 5% of population. That is NOT what he said in the speech. Despite my concerns regarding his assumption of how many would realistically access it, he said he "expected" only about 5% would need to access it.

Secondly, Pryor is gambling on the Senate to control the final outcome, in which case, there will be no bill at all. I am convinced -- after reading Dems responses to the speech last night and after hearing interviews with Progressive Caucus members on the air today -- that the PC members are not backing down from their insistence on a public option in the final bill. As they stated in their letter to Obama, "No public option, no bill."

Anyway, restricting people from being able to access the only insurance plan they can get into would be immoral and certainly illegal. (Insurance companies refuse coverage based on their bottom line profit margin, but it is not sanctioned by law. And per the new health care bill, if there is one, denying coverage would be illegal.) Add in that Obama says his goal is universal coverage, and restricting access to millions of people with no other choice does not fit into his stated universal scenario.

Coast Guard Did Not Fire on Suspicious Boat in Potomac

CNN reported, and various wire services are issuing Flash alerts, that the Coast Guard has fired on a suspicous boat in the Potomac River. The initial report is ten shots fired.

You can't help but wonder; if this was just some fool wandering into an area he shouldn't have, the first warning shot would have effectively communicated the Coast Guard's wishes.

UPDATE: Now there is word that the shots were "part of an exercise." The morning of the 9/11 anniversary seems to be an awfully unusual time to be practicing shooting on the Potomac River, but that's the latest.

ANOTHER UPDATE: If this was indeed a training exercise, it is the most egregious and insensitive use of federal government resources since.... well, April.