I think Sam Stein's item in the Huffington Post is slightly misleading. The way the headline is written, it sounds like Senator Durbin is dropping his support for the public option. Instead, Durbin seems to be suggesting that he would be willing to vote for a final, post-conference bill that didn't have the public option attached. There's a difference.
However, all of these faint concessions are horribly timed -- the statements of political amateurs, not political veterans. Here's how: the Republicans are screaming and threatening violence and lying about every aspect of healthcare reform and even the slightest hint of capitulation makes it seem like the Republicans are having an impact.
Bad, bad, bad politics.
This is partly why the Democrats have such a difficult time holding onto political leadership. Mainly, when you're a leader, you're expected to lead.