As for costs, how does adding new beneficiaries square withDemocratic promises that they will cut Medicare spending on paper bytwo percentage points a year for the next two decades—just as the babyboomers retire and health costs continue to climb?
This last-minute, back-room ploy showsagain that Democrats are simply winging it as they rush to passsomething—anything—that can get 60 votes by Christmas. President Obamapraised the proposal as "a creative new framework," while FinanceChairman Max Baucus told the Washington Post, "If there's 60 Senatorswho can reach agreement, I'm for it." Now there's a model standard to use for reordering 17% of the U.S. economy.


The latest polls show public supportfor the Senate plan falling into the mid-30%-range. The remainingsupporters must not be paying attention.