The goal isn't to be bipartisan. The goal is to pass effective health care reform that helps everybody.

This administration has a bit of a fetish about bipartisanship. Let's hope that they have a bigger fetish about passing a bill that benefits ALL Americans.

Obama has said repeatedly he wants a bipartisan bill. Although the Democratic-controlled Congress might be able to pass health care legislation with little or no Republican support, such a measure would be less widely accepted and less sustainable over time, Baucus and others have said.

But Obama's increased involvement appears to be diminishing chances for bipartisanship, not improving them. Grassley and other Republicans were also angered when Obama released a letter last week coming down strongly in favor of a new public insurance plan.

Of course the Republicans are upset that Obama is pushing a public insurance plan. They'd be upset if Obama breathed. These are the same people who voted, to a last one (minus three), against the entire stimulus package. They're not here to be helpful. And they're certainly not here to betray their friends in the insurance industry. Team Obama needs to hold firm. They need to lead. And that's what Obama started doing in the past week on health care reform. And that's why the GOP is so upset. Because when Obama leads, when Obama sticks to his guns, when Obama keeps his campaign promises, it makes it all the harder for the Republicans, at 20% and shrinking, to come back to power.

Obama needs to stop trying to broker deals with 20% of the population. Because when that happens, we risk giving 80% the shaft.