EDIT (3/25/10) - Well, I'll be darned. They did anyhow. Let's see how that works out at mid-terms)
It's over. No reasonable Democrat will vote for a bad HCR bill in reconciliation. Face it.
Pardon me for a weak hit and run "little more than a comment" diary. I can't help myself.
Obama, like FDR, had a small window of opportunity to get stuff done. He focused all of his efforts on HCR. He spent all of his capital on an issue that he was not certain to prevail on. SEC reform, banking reform, highway projects, immigration reform. He could have accomplished great things there.
Now?
He will be lucky to pass some decent banking reform bills and hold serve.
[sigh]
Edit: Anyone who thinks that this happened because the Democratic party is pursuing an agenda that is not progressive enough is living in dream world. The center is where we will get stuff done.