I don't often practice reading too much into anything and jumping to conclusions, but this statement that just arrived in my email box from Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) would lead me to believe that bipartisan talks at the Senate Finance Committee level are breaking down? Or, perhaps Democrats are just getting impatient, and Sen. Grassley is just saying everything's going to be alright, just give us some time?
Here's what the senator said:
"It'll be a lost opportunity if Democratic leaders in Congress and the administration force action on health care legislation that's not ready because of the complexity of the issue and the high stakes in getting it right. Republicans have been negotiating for a bipartisan bill that improves the health care system for everyone who relies on it, including the uninsured who access care through emergency rooms, seniors who depend on Medicare, taxpayers, and patients. The public doesn't want a government takeover of the health care system that would put a government bureaucrat between patients and their doctors, and we're working to stop it. The partisan bills already pushed through Senate and House committees have failed to control spending or do anything about runaway health care inflation. The bipartisan discussions that Chairman Baucus has led in the Senate Finance Committee have made very good progress because of his long-term commitment to bipartisanship, and could lead to a bill that makes things better, not worse, but that'll never happen if Democrat leaders tell Republicans to take a hike by forcing the committee to move on an all-Democrat bill."