I felt like torturing myself this morning, so I turned on the Chris Matthews Show.
Michael Duffy from TIME said that the hope for healthcare reform is to have a Senate bill passed by Christmas and the conference committee underway by the State of the Union.
I don't know whether this is accurate, but it's very troubling. If true, the Democrats will have to maintain momentum through the holiday recess and a resurgence of town hall hooliganism. And who knows what other new devilry will pop up in the meantime.
If this is allowed to stretch into the second or third month of 2010, it's the congressional equivalent of a pocket veto. It'd be nothing less than an effort to allow the bill to die of exposure.