Clyburn shifts slightly on public option

House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) signaled on Tuesday that even he is now ready to hedge his bet on a full-fledged public option.

"There are ways to get the public option," Clyburn told MSNBC, suggesting he would support a version of the proposal that went into effect based on a cost or coverage "trigger." "I do believe we can have a health care reform bill that includes a public option that is acceptable to people who don't want a public option," he added.

Clyburn's softer stance on a government plan comes at a time when the House Democratic leadership seems to be out of sync on health care reform. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi reaffirmed Friday that a bill without a robust public option would not pass the House, but Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said on Tuesday that Democrats might have to drop that provision to advance any bill at all.

Clyburn, who has supported a scaled-down public option for some time now, instead joins a growing chorus of lawmakers who view the "trigger" as the only hope for the embattled public option, which is altogether absent from the proposal Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) revealed today.