Mr. McCain, on the other hand, wants to blow up the current system, by eliminating the tax break for employer-provided insurance. And he doesn't offer a workable alternative.

Without the tax break, many employers would drop their current health plans. Several recent nonpartisan studies estimate that ... around 20 million Americans ... would lose their health insurance.

I would know, I would most likely be unemployed today without it.

As for whether or not this bill has real teeth -as it is currently being proposed, it has some pretty big teeth.  Obviously we don't know what we will end up with.  But dismissing what is being proposed because of other problems you may have with Obama seems counter productive to achieving real reform.

If people have a knee-jerk reaction to anything proposed by Obama - he has no reason to ever address the very real concerns they might have.

I'll say this, without public support, it probably has zero chance of being implemented.  Which is why I keep talking about it today.  But it's already big international news today and has prompted cooperative action by other countries as well.  And the bankers seem to believe it will happen, considering the reaction of the markets.

"piecemeal."

I mentioned the increase on the upper marginal rates because it was a critical part of the legislation and he was attacked relentlessly for the next 8 years as a "tax and spend liberal" because of it.

A few suggestions:

1. Do not gloat. Commend the people of Massachusetts on the wise choice they made and on their good judgment. Hail Scott Brown's win as the first step on a long road to building a 50-state Republican party.

2. Call upon the president to start again on health care, and offer your help.

3. Offer to support a scaled-back version of pending legislation while demanding the following provisions as the price of GOP support:

-- a provision mandating that insurance not be denied to people with pre-existing conditions.

-- language allowing portability of coverage from job to job.

-- elimination of lifetime "caps" on coverage for diseases like cancer.

-- assurance of nationwide competition by providers to lower costs.

-- ceilings on malpractice claims.

For the first time in many years, the GOP may find itself in a "win/win" position. If it takes the "make them say no" approach, the Republican party can force Obama to choose between knee-jerk allegiance to his leftist base and actually doing something that will work to the benefit of the American people. If the president and his team reject the GOP's extended hand, they will come across to voters as exceedingly partisan and divisive. If Democrats move in their direction, the voters will regard the Republicans as both reasonable and right. They will enter the 2010 election perfectly poised to add significantly to their numbers both in Congress and in state houses across the nation.

Look, I have written tons about the subject.