Breaking news: White House tells me, ‘No comment’ about whether Congress should include a public option

Late yesterday, President Barack Obama met with Democratic Senate leaders about the healthcare bill. Reports have been mixed, ranging from the president took no position, to the suggestion that the president told Democratic leaders he prefers the "trigger," which I and others believe would lead to years of more rip-offs from insurers.

I formally contacted the White House this morning with this press inquiry: Does the president support a public option with an opt-out for states? Yes, no or undecided? Or does the president prefer the trigger?

The formal response I received was that the president is not commenting on the details of the negotiating process as it evolves. This was the verbatim response I received; you judge for yourselves. Here is my interpretation:

1. The president is undecided about whether he supports the public option he has said he supports.

2. What supporters of the public option needed in the news this morning was support for the efforts of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to include a public option with an opt-out provision for states in the Senate bill. The absence of this support is destructive to supporters of the public option.

3. In the real world, the White House reaction to my inquiry, and news reports of the Reid meeting, sends the signal to weaker Democrats that they need not support the public option. The president's "no comment" response to whether he wants the Senate bill to include a public option is extremely damaging to supporters of the public option for this reason.

4. The president may, or may not, have side deals with Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) or with insurers to kill the public option in return for Republican support on final passage for healthcare. I honestly don’t know. Or he may have private understandings with senior Democrats to take one position or another. I don’t know. At this point, I don’t care. The president's vacillation has already taken a major toll on the efforts of those of us who support the public option.

5. There will definitely be strong reaction in Congress from progressives who support the public option, and there will be a major effort throughout the day to get this support.

The battle is still winnable, but thank goodness Jack Kennedy and LBJ fought for Medicare with more commitment, courage and resolve than our current president is showing today.