A bad bill better

Fremont Tribune:

[Sen. Ben] Nelson said by insisting on certain changes before casting his vote he “took a bad bill and made it better.” He pointed out aspects of the Senate’s bill he said will benefit Nebraska, and called the “Cornhusker Kickback” a “sideshow” that’s gotten too much attention.

Nelson said the two keys to securing his vote to advance the bill were eliminating the so called public option and not allowing federal funds to pay for abortions. He called those provisions “deal breakers,” and believes he accomplished them.

The Senate bill “supports the private market 100 percent,” Nelson said. “There is no federal government insurance involved in this whatsoever.

Thoughts:

• I can't help but notice that Nelson simply said he made a bad bill "better," which leaves open the possibility it is still bad. Just not quite as bad.
  

• Only a committed leftist could really believe that 2,000+ pages of new rules and regulations piled on to private enterprise amounts to a bill which "supports the private market 100 percent."
  

• Nelson's influence in getting the public option removed is overstated, as it was already off the table -- largely due to Sen. Lieberman -- before efforts to bribe woo him began in earnest.

It's becoming very difficult for the Senator to justify his vote.