Finally, some are beginning to see the FAIL in front of their eyes. But I must say, what the hell took you so long? First, the Obama "reform" fiasco should have been obvious since last year when he did everything from repeatedly calling his plan "universal health care" when it obviously wasn't to demonizing universal mandates, including running Harry & Louise ads. But if that wasn't enough (and it should have been!) Obama also kneecapped single-payer from the beginning of his "reform" efforts as president. Why else would he do that unless health care wasn't what he was fighting for?

A quick review of what has survived an unbecoming process of deal making exposes the dismaying reality. For starters: no public plan; no wealth tax to help pay for cost incurred; no right for the government to bargain with Pharma on drug prices; no meaningful enforcement mechanisms to ensure that vested, for profit interests comply with whatever undertakings, explicit or tacit, that they have made. What do we gain? Not much. A commitment that everyone must be insured, yet with a much weakened employer mandate to accomplish it. An elimination of the most egregious practices of insurance companies re. e.g. pre-existing conditions, arbitrary termination of coverage. Some small subsidies for the working poor. These last are minimal. Someone earning $20,000 a year will get no subsidy unless insurance premiums reach $2,400 -- according to the Finance Committee bill. Good luck all you folks who work for $10 an hour -- you'll need it.

And then there's Obama himself:

It is Barack Obama who is to blame for this. For months, he stayed aloof from the out-of-control Congressional maneuvering based on a strange belief in some kind of bipartisan collective will emerging by osmosis. He never leaned the weight of his person and his office to elements of reform that has been touting as candidate and then President. He deceived the country by pursuing secret talks with the very lobbies who are the heart of disgraceful national health care situation. He entered into deals that were weighted heavily in their selfish interest rather than the national interest. In short, we have gotten from him the antithesis of what we were promised and expected -- in the substance and process of policy both. We have instead a conventionally minded politician overly respectful of the status quo and deferential to those who control and profit from it, A man with no apparent fixed convictions.

Sometimes I wonder what more Obama could have done as an author, Senator, and presidential candidate to convince people of who he was. No one who paid any attention to him should be surprised.